The Humble, the Handsome, and the Totally Clueless
by storygirl1015
Summary: When Hinata's father kicks her out, she moves in with some of her cousin's friends...only to find that not only are they all male, but incredibly attractive! Now poor Hinata is in for more than she bargained for, especially when they start to fight for the right to win her heart!
1. Moving In

**Uh, nothing really to say at this point except…**

**I don't own Naruto**, _**no duh.**_

**Oh, and, enjoy the story, of course! Read and review too! Please and Thank-you! **

**P.S. This is my second attempt at an 'M' rated fic and my first at a centric, and I'll have to get used to writing about pairings I don't particularly favor, so please bear with for a while, at least 'til I get a good hold on the 'reigns' so to speak.**

**This is a Hinata Harem/Centric fic and also takes place in an AU.**

**Summary: **When shy wallflower Hinata is kicked out of the house by her overbearing father, her cousin comes up with the idea for her to board with some of his most trusted friends. But living with eight gorgeous guys can get pretty complicated, especially when they all want you... Hinaxharem

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Chapter One:

_Moving In_

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"N-Neji-niisama are y-y-you s-sure about t-this?" I asked quietly, gazing out the passenger side window and watching as the scenery swiftly flew by. Or was it us that was flying?

"Hai, Hinata-sama, I'm positive," he replied, still not taking his eyes off the road. "You need a place to stay, and I've found you one far enough away from the city so that you won't have to worry about being harassed by your father or any of his goons, but it's still close enough that you could take the subway or drive to work every day, provided you have a chauffeur to see you there and bring you home. I don't want you getting run off the road by some of these lunatic drivers out here,"

"W-Well if you're sure I won't b-b-be t-too much of a b-burden on anyone..." I managed to mumble.

"No, not at all. I've informed some friends of mine that also live at the penthouse of your predicament, and once I explained how you were my little cousin and the heiress of the Hyuga family and all, they agreed to let you live their for free, so long as you continue to keep up with your studies, and…do a few chores here and there. They might even give you a little extra cash to spend however you choose on the side as a reward for doing a good job." Neji explained, signaling to make a left turn and then doing so.

We turned down a road that led to some subdivisions and apartment buildings right on the outskirts of the city. If you wanted to stand on one of the house's balconies, you could see the sun setting and coming over the horizon just as well as you could inside city limits. In fact, it was even better because the skyscrapers and tall office buildings didn't block out the view like it did when you were in the heart of downtown Konoha. I bet you could even see the stars and moon better without the smog from factories and car exhaust constantly polluting the city's air at night. Maybe living here wouldn't be so bad after all.

We turned down another road and I'm sure my mouth fell open in awe as the sight of a large, marvelous, brick stucco building modeled to look like one of the same summer vacation homes I loved visiting so much came into view.

"Is that r-really where I'm going to live?" I asked breathlessly, still in awe.

"Yes, it is. What? You don't really find it that impressive, do you? The Hyuga Corporations office building and family compounds are bigger than this!"

"I-I know…" I said bashfully. "But still…I-I n-n-never expected it to be s-so n-nice here… is all,"

Neji smirked the signature smirk that always gave me shivers and sent all his fan girls wild. He was extremely handsome after all, if I do say so myself. I mean of course he's my cousin and I feel nothing more than the kind of fondness one might feel for an older brother. I know I'll never love him in the intimate sort of way, but still, he _is_ attractive; it's not like it's some big secret.

My mother used to say, good looks just run in our family, especially on my father's side, although she was pretty, too. But if you ask me, I got short-changed on that whole deal. I'm nothing really special to look at. My little sister Hanabi, now _she's_ the one endowed with the creamy smooth skin, adorable doll face and toned figure…

The sound of Neji's smooth voice shook me from my brief moment of brooding. "We're here," he said, pulling into the front yard and turning off the engine before stepping out and rushing to the other side of the car to open my door for me.

I giggled a little as he offered me his hand and I accepted, placing my own dainty hand in his much larger one. His practically enveloped mine. "Thanks," I smiled gratefully before moving toward the back to gather my things. I took two small suitcases, and he took the rest. Together we walked to the front porch, me with my suitcases in arms and Neji holding my other suitcase with my duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

He looked sort of funny holding a light lavender bag decorated with various girly designs and all kinds of buttons and pins I'd collected from all over. My name and the Hyuga family crest were etched neatly across the front. I stifled a small laugh as he reached into his pocket and grabbed a key, opening the door and revealing a stunningly beautiful lobby for my widened eyes to see.

However, I noticed there was currently no one sitting at the receptionist desk, and I was curious as to how a place as lavishing as this didn't have one, or so it would seem, as the station was pretty much deserted and looked like it had been for some time now.

I ignored it and followed Neji down a long and equally impressive hallway to a shiny silver elevator, where he told me our floor and I eagerly pressed the button, somewhat embarrassed that I still hadn't grown out of that naive little quirk of mine.

Apparently, I used to take great pleasure and pride in punching in the elevator number as a small child, and would become quite upset if I wasn't able to do so. I suppose it must be true, seeing as I still felt a certain surge of happiness briefly flow through me when I'm able to do it, and a sharp pang of disappointment when I'm not, although of course not to the same childish existent.

When we arrived on the third floor of the building, which wasn't very high up considering there were many more in the building (at least according to the elevator buttons), I stepped out and gazed around the plain looking hall, somewhat surprised that it hadn't been anywhere near as impressive as the lower area.

Shrugging it off, I followed Neji to a mahogany hand-crafted door at the end of the hall, and my hopes of seeing more beautiful sights were soon rekindled, as I noticed that all the other doors on the hall were made of simple, cheap wood covered in a few sloppy coats of white paint.

I began to think that maybe the best was yet to come, and maybe more good surprises were waiting right behind the door. My heart thumped loudly with anticipation, and for a minute I could've sworn it was so loud that even Neji could hear it, but it must have just been my imagination I suppose…or he was just too distracted by the faint sounds of a stereo turned up on full blast and the muffled shouts coming from the background, wafting out from behind the closed wood door.

Neji placed my suitcase off to the side and rang the small brass doorbell, which I noticed was in the shape of a hissing snake with glittery red eyes, its tail wrapped around the little yellow button that was the buzzer itself. It was a nice but slightly creepy touch for a door ornament, well, depending on who you asked.

The chime echoed several times, before all feel silent. For a few brief seconds the hallway was filled with nothing but the sounds of rustling fabric as Neji shifted his weight to his other side, and my shallow uneven breaths as I tried desperately to calm myself down. The silence only lasted a few minutes though as Neji chimed the bell again and again until I thought for sure the little button would break or short circuit or something, but then the music coming from inside the mysterious room was turned down, and the yelling subsided to faint, secretive whispers that I had to strain my ears just to hear, although I still couldn't decipher the words.

Then I heard someone shouting again. "Naruto, you idiot! I told you not to turn that music up so loud! They've probably been waiting out there forever!" I heard something that sounded suspiciously like the noise made by a swift smack.

"Ouch!" someone else cried. "Hey, what'd you hit me for!"

My, they sure were loud…

"That's for being an imbecile! Now shut up and go answer the door!"

"Fine," huffed the second, and then the air was filled with sound of awkward, hasty footsteps coming nearer with each passing second. "I'm coming!" they yelled, and then the door was unlocked and swung open by a man with spiky blond hair and bangs framing his forehead and his face on either side.

His eyes were strikingly blue and he somehow looked familiar, like I'd seen him someplace before, maybe even been close to him at one time. I was brought out of my daze however, by the sound of Neji's rich satin voice addressing the man standing in the doorway.

"Hn…Well Naruto, it certainly took you long enough," he said sharply.

Naruto? Could it be? No, there was no way this could be the same Naruto I'd been crushing on from elementary up to high school…! I'd lost touch with him a few years ago when we graduated, and my father sent me to a university out of town, while he stayed to attend the local college.

The strangely familiar man grinned widely, running a hand through his silky golden hair and then rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. The same thing the Naruto I knew used to do when he was nervous or embarrassed…

"Heh… heh… Sorry, Neji. I had the music turned up, so we didn't really hear the doorbell ring, and I sort of forgot you were coming," He flashed us a wide fox-like grin before stepping aside to allow us to move into the apartment.

We walked in and he seemed to notice me for the first time, since the hall had narrowed out towards the end and I'd had to stand behind Neji, whose larger, bulkier frame completely obscured my small, petite form from sight. Maybe that'd been his intention all along...

No, I'm sure he wasn't trying to cover me from Naruto's view, the hall was just too tiny to stand side by side and he knew I wouldn't have enough courage to knock on the door or ring the bell, that's all. I noticed he was standing rather close though and his body posture had suddenly gone pretty stiff and rigid, as if preparing to pounce on anyone who came to close to me. But Neji has always been overprotective of me, ever since were young kids.

"Whoa! Neji, who's this? She looks sort of like you, only a whole lot prettier! Is she your little sister or something? I always thought you were an only child!" he rambled on loudly, coming closer to me and sticking his face in mine so that his long blond hair just barely brushed my cheeks when he tilted his head.

It was just as soft as it looked. I felt my cheeks warm up instantly and could only imagine the shade of red it must be by now. Again, this man's enthusiasm and his ability to make me blush as if not even trying reminded me of my longtime crush.

Neji quickly stepped between us, succeeding in pushing Naruto away a bit. Although I wasn't quite sure I wanted Neji to intervene… …Instantly, I felt the loss of warmth that'd come from Naruto unconsciously sharing his body heat.

"This," Neji began smoothly, still glaring daggers at the hyperactive blonde, telling him to keep his distance, "is my little cousin, Hinata, not my sister, although she's just as close. And I am an only child Naruto, you dunderhead, you know that. You've also already met Hinata before. You were only classmates from elementary to high school, am I correct, Hinata-sama?" he asked me politely after he'd finished scolding Naruto.

First, I'd felt a sort of satisfaction at hearing Neji say I was like a little sister to him, or another words, he cared about me as I did him. I always knew this, but to hear Neji actually say it was even better than assuming, because I knew it was sometimes hard for a withdrawn and naturally calculative and prideful person like him to say what he was really feeling inside.

Then what he'd said after that sank in and I just nodded deafly, lost in a world of pleasant shock at running into my childhood love interest who I'd thought I'd never see again. I felt ashamed to call myself a friend of Naruto's and a relative of Neji's, when I couldn't even recognize the man I'd been infatuated with for all these years!

Why couldn't I be more like Neji, who never seemed to miss a thing with his pale, all-seeing eyes? He would be more suited to take over management of father's company when the time came, not me. Even my little sister Hanabi could probably do a better job of running it than I could! But I was the heiress by birth and it was my responsibility to carry on my family's legacy with pride and honor.

Naruto's eyes visibly widened as he looked me up and down, and then ensnared me in a bear hug. I heard myself gasp quietly, and then an inaudible sigh of contentment escaped from my lips as Naruto buried his head in my hair, tightening his grip on my waist, as I hugged him back lightly. I couldn't see Neji's face from over Naruto's shoulder, but I could guess he probably wasn't too happy about him hugging me.

But I was, and that was all that mattered right now. The world could end and I could die right there in his strong arms and it'd be a happy enough ending for me. Although I could still imagine a much happier one… as I had done in my dreams so many nights before. It involved me and Naruto together and happily married with successful careers, a big house and lots of little kids. I blushed at the thought of it all. And for once I was truly glad of the fact that Naruto was as clueless as I am shy.

Then someone cleared their throat, and surprisingly, it didn't sound like Neji. "What's all the commotion for now? You go to answer the door and don't come back for almost fifteen minutes. What's the deal, dobe? Did you forget we were playing poker or what? It's your turn and you still owe me three-hundred chips," said a vaguely familiar deep, baritone voice. It sounded very alluring and that made me blush even more due to the fact that I was still in Naruto's arms. He pulled away from me, but still had one arm around my waist as if to keep me from trying to run away.

"Hey, teme! Neji's here and he brought Hinata-chan, too! She's going to be living here with us for a while!" Naruto suddenly called out excitedly, startling me and casing me to briefly loose my breath.

There was only one person I knew of that Naruto called by that rather weird nickname… …and he was standing a mere few feet in front of me, staring straight at me with his dark, smoldering eyes. There, leaning in the doorframe that led to another room, was the great Uchiha Sasuke himself.

I hadn't seen him in years either. He'd also gone to school and grown up with us. I remembered him as being the most popular boy and sought after boy from middle school all the way up to our senior year at Pine Wood Academy.

At first he'd ignored all the attention of his adoring fan club and its members, but then by the end of our sophomore year he'd become a major playboy and I really don't know what happened, but it seemed like his habits had only gotten worse after that. I think it had something to do with the shifty crowd he'd started to hang out with around that time, a strange group that called themselves the 'Sound Four' rumored to have minor connections to several local drug dealers in the area and close ties to a big time mob boss known and feared throughout the country for a number of crimes that could rival half my family's fortune.

Naruto and his other close friend and fan girl Haruno Sakura, had both been really worried about him. And I'd been worried about all three of them in turn, especially Naruto. I'd heard rumors that the sudden change in his behavior had even been cause for his mysterious older brother who I'd never met or seen, to leave his company behind in Tokyo in the care of some well-trusted associates and move back to Konoha to look after his rebellious younger brother and keep him out of trouble.

Apparently, he also stayed here with Naruto in the penthouse, and I had to admit that he looked just as good as ever, if not better. I'd never really talked to him before, in fact this was probably the closest I'd ever been to him in my life and from what I remembered of him he was cocky, rude, callous and as stubborn as they come. Like Neji used to be for a while after his father died when we were children only ten times worse.

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted, eyeing me emotionlessly. "Hinata, you've grown up quite a bit haven't you?" His words surprised me along with the flirty look he sent my way as he brushed pass us to talk to Neji, who had gone back in the hall to get my things.

"C'mon Hinata-chan! I'll introduce you to some of the other guys that live here! I'm sure they'd all love to meet you!" He dragged me by the hand into what I assumed was the living room without even waiting for me to respond.

My eyes lit up with amazement and at the same time I felt extremely nervous and embarrassed, for there, sitting down at a long table before me, were seven of the sexiest guys I had ever seen, in a splendidly decorated room fit for one fair princess...and nine gorgeous kings…


	2. Making Some MAJOR Adjustments

Chapter Two:

_Making Some Major Adjustments_

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I stood there with my head down and a full on blush covering my face; luckily, my bangs helped hide it though. I was glad Naruto-kun was there to use as a sort of crutch, since I felt like I was about to faint from having eight pairs of eyes all staring straight at me, but wished that I could just sink right into the floor or simply disappear.

"Guys, this is Hinata-chan, she's the one Neji told us about and she's gonna be living here for a while in the empty room across the hall from mine and in between Itachi and Sasuke's. She's sort of shy if I remember right, so be nice to her or else!!" Naruto-kun stated.

It seemed he hadn't changed much over the years, and I was glad for that. I still couldn't believe all of this was happening and I was really going to be living here with my childhood crush and nine other hot guys! It was like a fantasy come true! Yes, even a shy little wallflower like me has romantic fantasies, okay? Yeah, I'm naïve and innocent, but I've still got hormones, alright? I just don't act on my impulses like a lot of other people in my age group do because I've got more self-control and common sense than that, along with a slight case of low self-esteem…but that's normal for young adults when they're still pretty new to the game of life. I'd probably get over it…eventually.

Suddenly, I was startled back to reality when someone gently lifted my chin up to look at them. Their fingers were warm and their smell was masculine and inviting and I couldn't bring myself to pull away from them, whoever they were. I looked up into a pair of beautiful dark obsidian eyes and felt myself blush furiously as a handsome man that sort of resembled Sasuke-kun, except older, and somehow more mysterious, stood before me, gazing down at me with an intense stare and a stoic face that made me want to melt from nervousness. I couldn't help myself; I blushed in embarrassment and averted my gaze, ever so slightly. But once again he tilted my head upward.

I could tell he was a hard type to read and that sort of frustrated me since it took me long enough to read between the lines with Neji, and decipher his secret code of grunts, curt nods and other such gestures. Looks like this would be an even tougher job…

"Hello, you must be the Hinata Neji-san has told us about. I'm Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother," His voice was deep and rich, almost dark, and absolutely beautiful to listen to. But then my eyes visibly widened as I realized he'd introduced himself as Sasuke-kun's mysterious older brother that I'd heard rumors about. I always imagined any relative of Sasuke-kun's would certainly be attractive, but this went way beyond my wildest fantasies…He was drop-dead gorgeous! There was no way around that.

"I-I-It's n-nice t-t-to m-meet y-y-you, I-Itachi-k-kun," I said softly.

"Hn," he grunted.

Just then, Neji-niisama walked in from the hallway with Sasuke-kun in tow, carrying my suitcases as if they were fluffy feather pillows. I was surprised at this; I didn't remember him being the type to volunteer to help carry someone else's things for them. He certainly never did it in school, that's for sure. But for whatever reason, here he was doing it now, and I found it highly unlikely that Neji-niisama forced him into doing it, because he wouldn't want anyone thinking he was too weak to carry two small suitcases a few feet, which only meant that Sasuke-kun had done it on his own free will.

I blushed and mumbled a quiet "thank-you" before holding out my hands as he came closer so he could hand them over, but instead, he just walked right by and turned down another hallway on the opposite side of the living room, turning back to glance at me briefly with a fierce look in his eyes that clearly said I should follow. So I did, with a small bow of apology to the others for not staying to properly introduce myself before I took off, hurrying to try and catch up with Sasuke-kun before he got too far ahead and I got lost in this giant maze of a penthouse.

I caught a glimpse of Sasuke-kun's dark navy shirt as he turned around another corner, not even waiting to see if I was still following or not. I suppose he just figured I was. We continued in a zigzagging pattern of twists and turns until he finally turned down a dead-end corridor. I stopped a few feet behind him, leaning against the wall and panting slightly, still trying to catch my breath. But Sasuke-kun seemed perfectly fine, as if the trip had simply been a leisurely stroll through the park for him. I suppose he'd gotten use to the long walk by now.

He opened the door to a dark room and turned on the lights. My eyes bulged bigger than they had been since I'd arrived and my mouth hung open, falling straight down to the smooth beige carpeted floor. It was huge! Not that I wasn't used to giant proportions before, but even my old room back at the main Hyuga estates, hadn't been this large or lavishing. The room I had at home had been smaller than most of the guests rooms in the manor and irritatingly plain (even for me), because father said he didn't have money to waste on silly things such as decorations for a bedroom I wouldn't be using much anymore, anyway.

Though he'd been saying that since my freshmen year in high school, and besides that, he renovated Hanabi's room every single summer with whatever she desired, and sometimes sooner if she requested. She was daddy's spoiled little girl, not me, and I was beginning to get sick of her always getting special treatment while I got treated like the orphaned stepchild that had to live in the attic and clean house like a common maid and take everyone else's verbal abuses, no matter how degrading they were. I only tolerated it in hopes that father would one day notice how well-behaved and obedient I was and acknowledge me with the respect and praise he gave Hanabi, but my years of waiting had just been in vain…

…But this room… was fit for a princess in my opinion! There was a big canopy bed in one corner with light, silky lavender curtains and a darker purple bed set with lilac trimming, including a few matching throw pillows. A few of my own stuffed animals from home would go perfectly with the look and give it a personal touch. A large sliding glass door and window took up one whole wall and led to a balcony with a magnificent view of the woodland beautiful scenery we'd pass on our way here.

Far off, over the treetops, I could barely make out the peak of the two mighty Hyuga towers looming over all the other shorter buildings that surrounded them. They were located in the center of downtown Konoha, the main office buildings from which father ran the company, shining silver in all their glory, an emblem of our family's great achievements and all the success it'd been blessed with over the years.

My eyes moistened with tears as I thought of my family back in Konoha, going about their normal routines without me. Even though they may not always acknowledge me, or at least not like they do Hanabi and now Neji, they were still my family and I loved them deeply, corporate complications, general indifference to the lives of other people, inner faults and all. They were humans, and therefore could be expected to make mistakes.

I dried my slightly dampened eyes before Sasuke could notice and continued to marvel at the room's almost ethereal beauty. Two mahogany wood dressers lined one wall and a beautifully hand-crafted chest lay at the foot of my bed, its key already in place. There was a tall bookcase with shelves for my reading materials and other miscellaneous items and knick-knacks. A 36' plasma screen TV was built into the wall facing my bed, and off to the side was a door which I assumed led out into a bathroom, closet, sitting room, or whole a whole other room entirely.

Suddenly, I felt someone put their arm around my shoulder and jumped away quickly, my skin crawling in fear. I turned around to see Sasuke-kun standing there with his arms crossed and a smug smirk on his face. It was obvious to me that he'd only done what he had because he knew I'd react the way I did, as apparently, it was enjoyable for to him watching me squirm and making me feel uncomfortable; and I didn't appreciate it one bit. Who did he think he was, having fun at my expense?

I tried to scowl the way Neji-niisama did whenever someone did something that displeased him, but the only thing I could manage was a pitiful pout. His smirk grew wider at this, and that made me even more upset, so I resolved to muster up my courage and tell Sasuke how I felt. I took a deep breath and tried not to stutter, failing miserably, as the fact that we were alone in an isolated room on the other end of the penthouse from the others and the way he was staring at me with hazy lustful eyes began to sink in.

"S-S-Sasuke-k-kun, t-that wasn't n-nice…y-you shouldn't s-scare p-people l-like that,"

The smug look on his face still remained, and now along with the lust in his eyes, there was amusement.

"Hn, didn't know you'd freak out like that," he replied flatly, shrugging his shoulders in supposed compensation. Lying jerk…!

"Y-Yes w-w-well, I-I'm a bit o-on the t-timid side, s-s-so if you c-could t-try to be mindful o-of that I-I'd a-a-appreciate it," I said, looking anywhere but at his face and poking my fingers together nervously. It was an old habit that I thought I'd gotten rid of, but it seemed that it was there to stay.

He nodded bluntly, which I guess is his way of agreeing. "Yeah, so anyway, I've taken the liberty of putting all your stuff away while you were busy zoning out; they're in that closet over there, in case you're wondering," He made a gesturing motion with his head toward the door that I'd already figured led elsewhere. "You're welcome to go in and see for yourself if you want,"

I took his words as a command, because that's what they sounded like, and I was used to following orders automatically; I guess you could say it's like second nature. Hopefully while I'm here, I can at least start trying to break out of that while I have the freedom to do so. Walking into the closet was like walking right into the storage room where the famous fashion designers my father sometimes hired to make business apparel for his company to sponsor kept their best pieces of work. There were racks for shoes, organized by size, shape and color lining the walls, sections to divide clothes to be worn in different seasons, and a full-length mirror, of course, because what's the point of putting on the clothes if you're not sure how you look?

But the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that there was already a full wardrobe of clothes that's didn't belong to me hanging up beside my own simple garments. I blushed with embarrassment as I realized how truly shabby my own attire looked in comparison to the intricate, chic pieces that hung up next to them. However, I wasn't really all that into fashion; that was more of Hanabi's thing. My look was usually plain and simple, something that would allow me to blend in with the commoners walking the streets, which is exactly what I wanted, all I ever wanted: to fit in and be normal for once, to be welcomed and accepted.

"S-Sasuke-kun," I called, noticing that he was leaning against the doorway, watching me observe the clothes. "W-What are all t-these t-things d-doing i-i-in h-here?"

"Hn… What? You don't like 'em or something? 'Cause if that's the case then you'll have to take it up with Deidara; he's the one that spent all week making them for you,"

I blinked repeatedly, my pale face clearly showing signs of confusion. What was he talking about? He had me so confused… Who was Deidara, one of the other guys who lived here, perhaps? Did this "Deidara", someone who I had never officially meant—at least not to my knowledge--- really go through the trouble of designing clothes just for me? Not like the clothes?!

How could he say such a thing! They were gorgeous, and although not what I was used to wearing, they looked like they'd be comfortable enough to fit my taste, that is that they didn't reveal too much skin. I shook my head until I felt nauseas and dizzy and Sasuke-kun seemed to have somehow become a triplet. "Umm… n-no… that's n-not w-what I m-m-meant. I-I…j-just d-didn't e-expect c-c-clothes t-to be there a-already, that's all...." I explained shyly, glancing at Sasuke to see he had a rather annoyed look on his face.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

At first, when Neji came here about a week ago and told us about his cousin's situation and asked if we'd mind letting her live here for a while until they could straighten things out at home, I was a little bit agitated, but I didn't dare say it in front of Neji. He was a worthy rival after all, and I respected him enough to let him resolve family matters without me objecting or trying to interfere.

Besides, being nosey is not an Uchiha like trait; we're supposed to be calm, collected, and decidedly aloof. What kind of rep would I be giving our family name if I went around sticking my nose in his personal business and acting like one of those old women who have nothing better to do with the rest of their miserable lives than watch soap operas as old and wash-up as they are, sit around the house all day wishing they were younger and trying to peek into people's yards so they could if the neighbor is having an affair. I'm a good-lucking young bachelor and it hasn't been forty-something years since I last got laid. Not even forty-some hours as a matter of fact…

But anyway, it sort of bothered me when Neji said Hinata was going to live here for a bit; After all, I remembered her as a shy, stuttering, nerdy little wallflower from school that couldn't be more socially inept if she tried. So sue me if the Hinata I expected wasn't the one who came knocking at the front door… I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw her; but of course I didn't show it. She looked so different! No, that was a major understatement…I actually probably wouldn't have recognized her if that dope Naruto hadn't introduced her as the bumbling young heiress who she no longer was.

Well, from what I could tell she was still just as shy, quiet, and easily embarrassed as ever, but her physical looks… It was like comparing the flat-chested, short-haired, baggy clothes-wearing Hinata to a European supermodel! Yes, it really was _that_ big of a difference, or another words, no comparison.

She'd lost all the baby fat of her early teenage years, and now had a gorgeously toned body perfectly proportioned with curves in all the right places. Her short-cropped crew cut hairdo was now a long beautiful mane of dark indigo locks falling down to the middle of her back, a good few inches above her waist. Her skin was still just as pale, smooth and creamy looking as before, but her complexion seemed to practically glow for some reason, I guess it was just part of the overall change she'd experienced over the years.

One of the biggest changes would definitely be her new chest size. Those things were huge! And trust me; I've seen some pretty big knockers before, but none that were naturally that big. I would've never expected a pair of breasts like that would belong to a girl like Hinata.

I mean, from the time we hit puberty to the time we graduated and parted ways at the end of our senior year, she'd probably only developed about so much, falling under the slightly average category, but it seemed her chest had kept growing just like the rest of her, and now I bet they were around the double D area heading into extended plus sizes. In school, her clothes used to be so baggy that with her haircut and all, you might mistake her for a boy if you weren't paying attention, but now there was no denying her womanly charm, or hiding that enormous bust anymore, because it had gotten so big that no matter how baggy she tried to get her clothes, you'd still be able to see them.

So then I immediately decide she's gonna be my new play toy; she may be Neji's cousin and all, and I might respect him as my almost equal, and consider him to be one of my closest friends, besides Naruto and maybe Sakura, of course, but I mean I am still a young man with the usual outpour of hormones that go with being a young adult still going through puberty's longer lasting effects.

Therefore, I can't be blamed for flirting with a sexy girl just because she's one of my best friend's little cousin, right? I don't think so at least. And it's not like I'm the only one that needed a cold shower after Hinata made her grand début after all these years. I think I even saw my bastard of a brother checking her out, and for Itachi, that's nothing short of pigs flying, monkeys ruling earth and hell freezing over…seven times in a row. Yes, it'd be considered that damn abnormal.

Of course, so would volunteering to carry her stuff in and show her to her room. Well, it was like an unspoken invite, but I still ended up bringing her here, didn't I? I couldn't help but be amused at the look of child-like fascination that lit up her eyes when she saw the room and how it'd been carefully decorated with colors and a theme that would help her feel at home. It was Deidara's idea, being an artist and all, but he somehow got Sasori to help out too, and I had to admit, they did a pretty good job.

When Neji told us about her staying here, Deidara immediately jumped in and volunteered to redecorate the room as a kind of welcoming present; I thought it was a dumb idea because how could you decorate a room for someone you'd never even met and didn't really know? But Neji had given them descriptions of Hinata and what she was like and the kind of things she valued, stuff like that, and they'd gone to work in turning this room into Hinata's own little haven. She certainly seemed impressed with the finished product. After I'd put her things away, I suggested she go look in the closet to see if she liked the arrangement. She did, and once again, looked thoroughly surprised, especially when she saw the clothes Deidara made her hanging up on the rack with her other things.

You see, despite him being a total idiot that can sometimes be just like having another Naruto around, Deidara is a fashion designer/clay sculptor and a pretty good one more or less. Although his own sense of style is a bit…out there, he somehow manages to put together these metro looks that fit a person's persona to a T. I had to admire the way he captured the sexy-innocent look that seemed to be the very essence of Hinata.

I asked her what she thought about the clothes since I was a bit curious myself, and she seemed unsure of how to answer. She started that annoying stuttering again, and although it totally fits her cute, innocent, childlike naive demeanor, it's a real turn-off to me and if she's going to be living here then she's going to get over it or she'll drive me up the walls!

I walked up to her slowly, my shoulder 'accidentally' bumping the light switch and turning them off in the process as she took a few steps back. Pinning her in a corner, I put both hands on either side of her head to keep her in place and leaned in closer, purposely pressing my body against hers as I whispered in her ear.

* * *

**Hinata's POV**

Now I was sure I was blushing harder than I ever had before in my life and my heart was beating wildly in my chest, threatening to explode from all the tension I was being forced to face, literally. Sasuke-kun had suddenly come up and backed me into a corner of the closet. It was dark and quiet, except for the sounds of my ragged breathing. I could feel the immense heat coming from his body, and shivered when he bent down toward my ear, my skin reacting to the touch of his silky dark raven hair brushing against my collar bone. I stifled a small gasp.

"What's the matter? You're not afraid of the dark are you?" he purred darkly. His hot breath blowing on my earlobe reminded me of just how close we really were, along with the feeling of a warm, wet tongue snaking out to lick the sensitive skin there.

"Um… …Uh…" I was lost in a trance, unable to think or move or even remember to breathe, until the burning sensation in my lungs reminded me to take in some air. I couldn't believe this was really happening, on my first day here, too! I really didn't know what to think.

Sure, I saw the look he had given me when he went out into the hall and I knew him to be forceful and bold from high school when he would just pin some random girl against the lockers and make out with her right there in the hallway, but this, was certainly still unexpected. I could feel his hands beginning to roam my body, and started to regain my senses, finding the guts to push him away with as much strength as I could possibly gather at the moment.

But it seemed that it wasn't enough as he just grabbed my wrist, pushing my arms down to my sides and back against the wall, locking them in place. The way he was pressed against me made it impossible to bring my legs up to knee him in the groin or do anything else that might be useful, and I had enough sense to know that wiggling around would only further…arouse him. And so I was forced to keep still and allow him to practically molest me, fearing the worst and completely helpless and immobile.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I could feel him trailing kisses down my neck, sucking on the pulse at my collar bone and causing my heart to flutter instinctively. I wondered why he didn't just get it over with and claim my lips and body as his now, but if figured he wanted to torture me by making me wait and wonder when he would finally finish teasing me and decide to get serious. I wondered if the others noticed how long we'd been gone. It had to have been at least thirty minutes or more, surely they would've thought something was wrong and come looking for us…wouldn't they?

"S-Sasuke-k-kun…" I whispered hoarsely, my voice cracking ever so slightly as I fought off the oncoming tears desperately trying to leak through.

"…P-Please…p-p-please s-stop…!" I begged, whimpering. "…P-Please… S-Sasuke-kun…" I sniffled and he looked up, stopping his assault on my skin as he stared into my watery lilac eyes, drowning me in the depths of his obsidian orbs. He looked at me blankly with an emotion I couldn't decipher and thoughts that were well concealed as I couldn't read them…

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

I don't know what came over me… I just wanted her so badly that I… Shit, and now she's crying and scared and it's my entire fault! I don't know why I'm reacting this way; it's never happened to me before. With all the girls I've made out with and the women I've slept with never have I felt such a surge of emotion or a tug at my heart then the minute I looked up to see Hinata looking so frightened and vulnerable.

It's true that no woman I've ever been involved with before has ever reacted that way to my aggressive advances, In fact, if anything I'd say they rather enjoyed it, and it certainly gave me the satisfaction of relieving my sexual frustrations but still…I've often wondered if there was such a thing as a permanent fix and secretly I've already began searching for one. But so far I've had no luck in finding it, and I'm beginning to question if I ever will.

If only she'd stop staring at me with those wide, innocent, helpless eyes, I could think clearer…Damn it all! What the hell is she doing to me?! The mark at the base of my neck started to throb and ache in pain and it hasn't done that in years, not long after I first got it. It was a symbol of my loyalty and an initiation into the gang of the infamous drug lord, Orochimaru, as all members were required to get one when they first joined.

A special kind of ink he'd concocted his own secret research facility was used when applying the tattoo, and reapplied periodically on a regular basis, along with a special serum that was injected at the site of the marking and had a personality altering effect. It did a number of other things too, like impairing your judgment, causing you to become extremely irritable and prone to unprovoked rages, along with giving you a temporary boost in stamina and speed.

It was very useful for outrunning the cop cars and escaping from other compromising situations if you could survive it… It was because of the number of lethal drugs and potentially poisonous chemicals that the ink and medicine were made from. Whether you survived or not all depended on how strong your will was and how well your body could keep itself stabilized as it adjusted to the effects of the drugs. Most people didn't, and I barely managed to stay one step ahead from going into a permanent coma until the day I died.

Yet somehow, I pulled through, I probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for that blonde-haired baka of a best friend and that whiny pink-haired fan girl. It was those two and my godfather, Kakashi, along with the rest of the gang, even Itachi, who helped pull me out of the darkness when the haze fogging up my mind got too thick for me to see through. Unconsciously, I rubbed the ink marking at the back of my neck and winced a little as it throbbed again.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun w-what's w-w-wrong, a-are y-you o-okay?" came the soft and gentle voice of the Hyuga girl who had every reason not to care whether or not I got run over by a car, after I just violated her against her will like that. And still, she was worried about me and wanted to know if I was okay. This girl… …was really something else. She was weird, but different, and I'm sort of surprised I never noticed her before during all those years we went to school together. But then again, things were a bit different back then, and she _did_ tend to kind of go unnoticed a lot.

Besides, even if we had associated, my fan club would have gotten wind of it eventually, and with her being as spineless and shy as she is those fan girls would have torn her apart and eaten her alive without so much as feeling an ounce of remorse. An innocent girl like her didn't need to be subjected to that kind of thing. And yet here I was, all but sexually harassing her, then turning around and acting like she was mine alone to defend and protect. Tch, she really did have me all screwed up in the head… It was like she was some kind of toxic chemical, leaking into my bloodstream and infecting me from the inside out, completely dilapidating all my best defenses.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun?" her melodic voice called again.

_…But…_

I looked up at her to see worry and the tender look of compassion clearly evident on her face.

_…If she was a deadly drug…_

"P-Please s-s-say s-something…? …A-Are y-you alright?"

_…Then…_

I grunted a reply and nodded stiffly, and she gently moved my hand away from my neck to take a look at the tattoo. At first, my body tensed up automatically as I waited for the scream or gasp of fear and surprise that would come before she'd slap me and shove me away and run for her life. Yes, I'd actually had women do all of those things, the half-decent ones anyway.

They'd see the mark and instantly recognize what it was from and what it stood for and then they'd get scared and leave, not wanting to get caught up in my personal problems or seriously involved with an ex-gang member. The only ones that didn't push me way were the sluttish ones that couldn't care less because they were mixed up in something like that already, or also belonged to some kind of sex organization.

_…I don't think I'll be able to resist becoming addicted…_

Just then, the door was flung open and Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Itachi, Deidara and the Sabaku cousins, Sasori and Gaara, charged in. Naruto flipped on the lights and the others crowded around us, asking a bunch of questions about why we'd been gone so long. Except for Gaara and Sasori, they just stared in that aloof manner that reminded me so much of my own at times.

"What the hell happened to you guys?! You've been gone for like an hour, un!" Deidara exclaimed.

"You didn't do anything inappropriate to Hinata-san, did you?" Itachi demanded. His voice was quiet and calm, but being that he was my brother I knew him better than to think he used emotional inflections when he spoke, portraying his actual emotions. Like me, he liked to play it cool and wear an 'emotional mask' which he rarely ever took off. (In fact, I could probably count the number of times his emotions were openly displayed on one hand, without using all five fingers at that!) Liked to remain aloof and reserved and keep you guessing about what he was thinking behind his solemn, unreadable expression.

Therefore, you could never really count on his tone to tell you how he was truly feeling and what he was thinking. You had to read his body language, which was very subtle and sometimes still left thinks unexplained. But I could tell by the brief flicker that ran through his eyes that he was worried about Hinata and extremely livid with raw bitterness toward me and if he found out I'd hurt her in anyway, he would most definitely tear me apart. The two redheaded Sabaku cousins were the same way. How intriguing. So the Itachi and the others had all become attached to this girl as well, huh? This would certainly prove to be interesting…

"Uchiha, if you even so much as laid one finger on my cousin I swear I will kill you with my bare hands," Neji snarled. The way he sounded, it's as if we were back to being mortal enemies again, and I didn't doubt for a minute he would make good on his threat.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun's h-hurt!" Hinata said, trying to divert everyone's attention back to the matter of getting me help and holding me up by putting her arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to her side. I put my other arm around her shoulder too, and looked down, my bangs falling in my face and covering my eyes.

"I-I t-think t-t-th-there's s-something w-wrong w-with t-t-this m-mark o-on h-h-his n-neck," she continued, tugging my shirt collar gently and pulling it down to show the others my aching mark.

"T-That's the mark Orochimaru gave you, isn't it?!" Kiba said, sounding sort of surprised.

We'd never been all that close, because he thought I was a pompous jerk and I thought he was an overconfident asshole. He hung out more with Naruto than me and we could only stand being in the same room together for about fifteen minutes, usually. After that, the fur would start to fly as all hell broke loose. He'd probably been told about my past rendezvous with Orochimaru's crew and my condition but this was the first time he'd seen the tell-tale scar, judging by his surprised expression.

"Damn, Sasuke, it looks swollen! It's practically black and blue!" Naruto shouted next to my ear. What an idiot… …always screaming for no reason like that. Sometimes I wondered how I could ever stand being friends with him.

"I think you need to see a doctor right away," Neji spoke up, suddenly changing back to being concerned about my well-being. Man, what was up with all these mood swings? Was it his time of the month or what? By this time, I'd been able to move back to the living room with the help of Naruto, and of course, Hinata who had never left my side since they'd found us and had stubbornly and determinedly refused to let someone else help carry me even though I was twice her size and definitely much heavier than her. It was sort of foolish, but I had to admire her faithfulness and resilience.

But before I could respond I was once again interrupted by the one I least expected. And to my surprise, I really didn't mind, as just hearing her voice was soothing in itself.

"W-Wait!" she said timidly, and instantly all eyes were on her, and I could see her look down and blush fiercely. "I-I k-know a l-little b-bit a-about m-medicines a-a-and I h-h-have s-s-some h-healing h-h-herbal b-balm i-in m-my bag i-i-f y-y-you w-want t-t-to u-use it,"

I nodded curtly, figuring having Hinata treat my wound at home would be much more comfortable and convenient than having to go to the hospital and be fondled by a bunch of clingy nurse who were too busy trying to flirt and violate me to actual be of any help. She gave a small smile before rushing off to her room to retrieve the jar of medicine. I stared after her form, and couldn't fight off the smallest of smiles that came to my lips. Having her around would certainly spice things up and making living here much more bearable and exciting. Yes, I could definitely see us getting along better and better from here on in…

* * *

**So, there it is, chapter two finally complete! How was it? Did you all like it? I thought it was okay, but somehow thought I could've done better. And yeah, I know, Itachi's not really the type to take the initiative to go and introduce himself like that, but I typed that part without really thinking much about it and I was going to go back and change it so it'd be someone more like Deidara, but for some reason the first one seemed better than the second and it's always best to go with your first instinct, right?**

**Anyway, the next chapter will probably have some more fluffy moments than this one did. I'm thinking GaaHinaSasu, since I just got finished reading a really good fic about them rescuing Hinata and deciding to share her. It was surprisingly easy to accept the concept of it all. I guess it's all about the way it's presented…? So stay tuned, next chappie will be much more exciting as Hina and the guys head out to the beach to meet up with the rest of the gang for a day out on the pier! So stay tuned! And review, too!**

**P.S. Just thought I should mention…**

**Okay, I have to admit, being a girl and all (and a totally straight, non-perverted one at that) it was a little awkward writing Sasuke's POV and doing what I thought his take would be on Hinata's new appearance since the last time they meant. But he **_**is **_**supposed to be a playboy and all (no, he's not completely out of that ****yet, ****but he gradually will as he gets to spend more time with Hinata*implied fluffiness ahead*) so I figured that's most likely how the average sleaze-bag type regards most women, by their bodies and their bust sizes and not much else, so yeah… I apologize if I offended anyone…besides myself…**


	3. Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

**IMPORTANT AUTHORESS' NOTES:**

**Okay, before I begin the next chapter, I just decided to clear up some other issues even though they haven't been brought up…yet. So anyway, here they are: First, I've mad Sasori and Gaara cousins in case you didn't notice that last chapter, because to me they seem like they should be related, even though it hasn't been proven that they are in the actual manga/anime. I mean, they both have red hair, lightly tanned skin, similar personalities and they come from Suna (even though Sasori somehow looks younger and more innocent than Gaara...) Sasori even had a stuffed bear when he was a kid!**

**Secondly, some of the guys' images have been ****slightly**** altered, that is they may have tattoos, piercings, chokers, etc. I always thought it'd make them all look a bit sexier, somehow. Meh, that's just me, though. But if any of you pay attention to detail like I do, and you've read the chunin exams manga volumes from the time Gaara first makes his entrance to the time of his great departure, you'll see that he's got like three or four sets of studs in several places in his ears (no lie! If you don't believe me grab one of the volumes and see for yourself! Although, they're not consistently worn, but still…) but for some reason when they converted those episodes into anime they cut that part out… *pouts* they should've let him keep them, it'd would've looked so cool with his tattoo and the studs. **

**Third, Itachi and Sasuke won't be like six years apart as they are in the original storyline, I'm thinking more along the lines of four years. Yeah, I know, **_real_** big difference, right? Lol But anyway… I think that's all you need to know for now. I'll let you know if anything else changes if/when I think of it, until then read on and enjoy! **

**P.S. Actual ages of the characters will be posted later so you don't get confused, and by that I mean, probably next chapter or at the end of this one. **

**Oh yeah, and I've decided I might add two more Uchiha (not OC's) in the next chapter, and make them main characters, but they won't be part of the whole harem line up, unless you want them to be. So, it's all up to you, the fans, to tell me what you think of the idea. That is, if you can even guess who they are… Are you up to the challenge? If yes, tell me who you think I'm talking about in your review. Hint: There are TWO of them.**

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* * *

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Chapter Three:

_Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice_

**Hinata's POV**

I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and unsure of my surroundings.

I slowly sat up on my knees and started to rub away the sleep that had accumulated in them during the night. I quickly realized I was on a small futon at the foot of a bed in a room that wasn't mine and immediately started to panic, surveying my environment with wide, fright-filled eyes. Then I became calm again once I remembered everything that'd happened yesterday. The events of the day before suddenly returned to me in a flash of memories that were still new and freshly engraved in my mind.

I'd been brought to the penthouse owned and occupied by some of Neji-nii's friends, here, on the edge of town. After I discovered Naruto-kun, my childhood crush and unrequited high school love interest lived here along with his best friend and archrival, the former high school heartthrob Uchiha Sasuke, I was whisked away by said man, molested, and nearly violated in my own room closet!

I think the only thing that saved me from my cruel and unexpected fate was Sasuke suddenly going into some trance of what looked like guilt and confusion, before falling into some weird spell. When the tattoo at the base of his neck started to hurt, that's when the others came in and found us, and I treated Sasuke-kun using some of the homemade medicine I always keep on hand. This all lead up to me insisting on watching over Sasuke for the night to make sure he was okay, and would explain what I was doing on a roll-out sleeping bag on his bedroom floor.

Why I would ever volunteer to help look after someone who practically molested me on my own free will I really don't know myself. Maybe I've just got a forgiving heart and I try my best to look past the bad things and see the good in people. Or maybe Hanabi's right and I'm too nice for my own good, which usually leads to others taking advantage of me and wouldn't happen if I'd just put my foot down and say no in the first place. But that's just Hanabi, so I shouldn't really worry about it. Being that she's been my little sister for fourteen years now, I've just learned to deal with her blunt, tactless, and sometimes, hurtful way of putting things.

I think it's a trait she inherited from our father, her harsh sense of honesty.

Still on my knees, I peered over the side of the bed to see Sasuke-kun still sleeping peacefully, his eyes closed tightly and a blank, but somehow innocent expression spread over his face. Without thinking, I moved my hand to the bandaging at the base of his neck to see that it seemed to be holding up rather nicely, and the area around the particular piece of skin was no longer as swollen and discolored as it had been the night before. In fact it was almost fully healed and I was proud that my simple herbal remedy had been able to help speed the healing process , before I could move my hand away, Sasuke-kun grabbed my wrist firmly in his own hand and looked at me with cold, emotionless, inky black eyes.

I hadn't even seen him wake up though… But I resolved to apologize for violating his personal space none the less, even though he still hadn't said sorry for doing the same to me yesterday, and where as he was forcefully touching me against my will, I was only trying to help him and make sure his wound was doing alright.

"G-Gomen-n-nasai, I w-was j-j-just t-trying t-t-to m-make sure y-your w-wound w-w-was d-d-doing a-a-alright," I stammered nervously.

"What are you doing in here," he demanded, ignoring my humble explanation and sincere apology.

"I-I-I s-stayed in h-here l-last n-night t-to m-make s-s-sure y-you w-were okay," I said diffidently.

He smirked, which only made me blush even more than I already was. I lowered my face in hopes that my bangs would shadow me enough so he couldn't see. I felt him let go of my wrist, and knew that my delicate skin would most likely bruise or chafe as a result of being gripped so fiercely. I looked up slowly to see him rolled over on his stomach with his head propped up in his hands and his feet straight back and pressed against the wall.

"Oh, is that so?" he said, almost sounding amused by my statement.

"H-Hai," I squeaked.

"Then I guess I should thank you for helping me out yesterday, even though you didn't have to and nobody told you to sleep on the floor in the first place," he sneered, and my awe and momentary happiness at hearing him utter a phrase which I was sure was highly underused in his vocabulary was quickly turned to embarrassment and sorrow at being mocked in the next breath. "Anyway, it's Saturday and still pretty early so, I'm going back to sleep."

He yawned, motioning lazily to the digital clock on his bedside table that read 7:30 a.m. and turning back around with the covers already yanked almost all the way over his head. "Do whatever you want, just don't bother me," I heard him grumble, before seeming to fall completely back into his deep, much-needed sleep.

I figured he must be very tired to fall asleep so fast and it was best to leave him alone and let him catch up on his rest. Somehow I got the feeling that dealing with a grumpy, sleep-deprived Sasuke would be even less pleasant than dealing with a wide-awake one. And besides, he never did really strike me as being a morning person anyway, with the way he'd always seemed so snappy and on-edge first thing in the mornings when he got to school more than any other time during the day.

I decided to go get dressed and then have some breakfast in the kitchen, granted I could still remember where it was and how to get there without getting lost in this giant place. But then as I slowly got up and began to tip-toe my way across the soft, carpted floors to the door, my stomach suddenly shook with a violent spasm of hunger and I was barely able to stifle my small, painful groan as it threatened to spill out from my throat.

It was then that I suddenly remembered I hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime yesterday, and even then it'd been a small, simple meal consisting of some bean paste soup, tea and a few rice dumplings, nothing special. Hanabi had fixed it as a sort of good-bye gift before I'd left the mansion yesterday. It was about the only dish she knew how to cook without burning beyond the point of recognition, but she'd insisted on making me a farewell meal and I appreciated the amount of effort and the thoughtfulness she must have put behind the gesture.

In any event, I found myself being lead toward the direction I was sure I recalled the kitchen being in, by a strange, unearthly force that had temporarily taken the form of my insatiable hunger. Blindly, I groped down the still darkened hallways, feeling my way along like a mole through its underground tunnels. Only, I wasn't blessed with the blind rodent's sense of smell and direction, and I was about as coordinated as a newborn giraffe trying to find its footing on an uneven plain full of cracks and crevices…

So of course that means one thing: I fell over my own two feet, tripped, and landed sprawled out on my face in the middle of the hallway. Unfortunately for me, I'd also somehow managed to hit my head against the wall on the way down, and now it was steadily throbbing in pain, especially in one specific spot where I'm sure a knot had already begun to form.

I moaned out in misery silently cursing my clumsiness and luck (or lack there of) along with my poor coordination and motor-skills. I didn't know why _I _had to be so awkward; I was sure it wasn't inherited, because Hanabi was as fluid and smooth in her movements as a swan in flight and she'd gotten the same genes I had. Neji, although he was my cousin, was still a direct blood relative and was also not cursed with all the best traits of a lanky, bow-legged flamingo like I was. He was graceful, balanced and calm just like a proper Hyuga should be, and what irony and bad luck that I was none of those qualities and I was supposed to be the very embodiment of the Hyuga family, the heiress of the clan for God's sake!

I stayed there sprawled out on the carpets for what seemed like an hour, clutching my fist against the soft floor and closing my eyes as I just continued to lay there with my head turned to one side, telling my self how pathetic I was to trip over nothing and fall down flat on my face. Finally just as I began to crack my eyes open, I saw a hand slowly being lowered down to my face, and looked up into the unfamiliar face of a grinning blonde man…

* * *

**Deidara's POV**

I'd woken up early to go to the bathroom, and had heard soft, shuffling footsteps from the opposite direction when I was coming out. Being the curious guy I am, I decided to go and investigate. Sleep had all but been forgotten, which is a real rarity for me, considering I'm really not a morning person, un. And I mean, really. I only ever get up early on my own when I have a big project to work on and I'm already pushing my deadline, and even then, Sasori no dana still has to help me get started most mornings. But then once I get going I just fall right into the cheerful, energetic role I'm used to playing. So anyway, I decided to peek around the corner and see who else could possibly be up at this hour.

To my slight surprise and utter amusement, I saw none other than our new little houseguest, Hinata, feeling her way along in the darkness of the hall, squinting to see better and looking lost and uncertain. She was really quite cute, even this early in the morning, with her baggy, button-up, blue bunny-print flannel shirt and long, matching pajama pants.

Her long, dark indigo hair, large lavender eyes and smooth, baby round face made her look like a little kid tiptoeing downstairs to peek underneath the tree before anyone else got up, early on Christmas morning. I grinned to myself as I watched her continue to try and feel her way along the wall, until she suddenly put the wrong foot in front of the other and crashed to the carpeted floors before I even had time to blink. I just looked at her for a minute, expecting her to hop back up, but when she just kept lying there without moving for almost five minutes I began to get worried and wondered if maybe she needed any help.

What if she hit her head and was unconscious? What if she had a concussion? If she got hurt in any way, shape or form, Neji would come here and kill all of us for not looking after her properly! I remembered exactly what he had told all of us with the exclusion of Hinata herself last night…

* * *

_Flashback (Normal POV)_

_As Hinata ran off to get the medicine, the rest of the group sat gathered in the living room, Sasuke still sprawled out on the couch with his head supported by what seemed like dozens of plump, fluffy pillows. _

_T__he room filled with a long, awkward silence, until Neji finally broke it. "You know, Hinata-sama's always been like that, putting other people before herself and never worrying about her own needs," he said solemnly, a small smile creasing his lips. _"_Even when we were kids, and I pushed her around and treated her so badly, she never stopped trying to help me, and always tried to cheer me up by saying kind things, or picking me flowers. She even remembered my birthday when no one else did." _

_The group just sat still, listening to what Neji had to say. _"_She never had the heart to be the heiress. She's too kind, thoughtful, sensitive, and in short, the business world would eat her alive. I'm sure my uncle sees that, but he doesn't care about what Hinata wants, he only wants someone strong and capable to take over the company in his place when the time comes. Of course, Hinata's younger sister Hanabi would be much better suited to run the business, since she's more assertive, audacious and sometimes, even ruthless; she'd make an excellent CEO, she fits the criteria perfectly, as far as the whole business persona goes._

_I believe Hiashi-sama would've already given the company to Hanabi, if it hadn't been for the ancient company bylaws set into place by my elders long ago, when the great Hyuga family business was first laid to foundation, that state that any individuals chosen as successors must be at least twenty-four years in age and have special, certified and formal training in the ways of the trade before accepting the position from the former holder, or attempting to claim status through a will or any other legally documented paperwork." Neji recited._

"_So…" Sasori began, "He's only using Hinata because she's closer to fitting the criteria than Hanabi is, and, she wants to please her father so badly, it would be easy to manipulate her into doing whatever he and his associates want, because she doesn't have the will to refuse them," he concluded._

_Neji gave a curt nod and grunted, " She's twenty-two now, so she's only got two more years until she's old enough to assume the position, and she's had the training needed to make her qualified in that department. What's more, Hanabi's a spoiled, bratty, immature, little girl, and she doesn't have the proper certification, so, it's out of the question for now. It'd be a major setback for uncle to try and train Hanabi and then wait another ten years for her to become heiress; plus, Hanabi has a strong will, and she wouldn't be as easy to maintain control over as her sister. All that being said, I want you to know that Hinata-sama is very important to me, I love her like my own little sister and would do __**anything**__ to protect her, however, I need your help."_

_All the occupants of the room sat in stunned silence. Neji, Hyuga Neji, asking for someone else's help?!! What was the world coming too! _"_It isn't very often, if ever, that I ask someone else for a favor, but please, I'm counting on you to protect Hinata-sama at all cost. Just because her father kicked her out of the house, it doesn't mean he won't be keeping an eye on her, so stay with her at all times and don't let her out of your sights." he continued. _"_My uncle's goons will probably be on twenty-four hour surveillance, watching Hinata's every move and waiting for the right moment to approach her, and make sure she stays pliable enough to bend to their wills. I don't want Hinata-sama to worry, and if she knew that I'd asked you all to do this, than she wouldn't accept your help on the grounds of being a burden and bad houseguest, so try not to tell her, alright?"_

_Naruto, having wanted to say something the whole time, but waiting for Neji to finish his speech, suddenly exploded. "Don't worry, Neji, we'll make sure nothing bad happens to Hinata-chan! Right guys?" he asked excitedly. The others quickly agreed with Naruto, not so much because they were just as adamant, though they were, but more so to make him sit down and shut up._

"_Hai, she's in good hands, Neji." Itachi stated stoically. _

_Neji nodded, and walked toward the door. "Hey, where are you going? Aren't you gonna at least stay long enough to tell Hinata goodbye or something?" Kiba asked._

"_I would, but I must get back to the manor and tell Hiashi-sama that the arrangements have officially been set into place. Though, I may stop by later tonight with more of Hinata-sama's things and a fresh change of bedclothes. I'm afraid those are only her day outfits in those suitcases," he explained._

"_That's okay! If you can't make it back tonight, Hinata-chan can always borrow some of my clothes!" Naruto offered cheerfully._

_Before anyone else could respond, Sasuke, who had been silent the whole time, interrupted, "Dobe… when's the last time you cleaned those clothes of yours, or even did your own laundry?"_

_Naruto scowled at the raven and hissed like an angry cat, "For your information, I did everyone's laundry just last week, teme, and I cleaned all my clothes just a few nights ago!"_

"_Even your underwear?" Sasuke countered, and smirked as Naruto opened his mouth to speak, then quickly closed it and lowered his head, a very visible blush staining his tanned face. Sasuke wasn't supposed to tell anyone that! So much for secrets among friends… He would **kill **the teme if it was the last thing he ever did!_

"_So, that's why my boxers came back pink, then?" Sasori asked aloud, albeit, quietly so no one else could hear._

"_Ugh! Fucking brat, you're the one that bleached my best damn clothes and turned them pink! I fucking hate that gay-ass color; it reminds me of that fucking annoying bitch with the pink hair that's used to chase Sasuke back when we went to high school together." Hidan said, swearing. Naruto was too busy arguing with Sasuke to hear him, though._

"_I wondered why all my shirts had suddenly shrunk… I thought I'd been getting fat or something, and really it was just Naruto no baka being stupid and attempting to do chores. Should've known… Naruto and housework never did mix." Kiba muttered to himself. _

_Neji sighed and shook his head, his hand on the doorknob, preparing to leave, when suddenly, the monotonous voice of none other than the younger redhead stopped him in his tracks, "Oi, Hyuga, if you're really so worried about the fate of your family's company, why not run it yourself? You seem to know the company's customs and bylaws by heart, and you're smart, merciless and stubborn as hell. If you want something done right then you must do it yourself, right?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement._

_All other commotion in the room stopped, and everyone turned their eyes to Gaara, the one who had spoken. Neji, and even Sasuke, stared wide-eyed. Itachi, though not quite so shocked as to loose his composure to that extent, did raise a questioning eyebrow._

_This was the first time Gaara had talked without being addressed directly, after all, and even then, the responses he'd given had been very curt and no more than a few words in length. Something about the Hyuga's situation must've piqued his interest. How very peculiar, since when had the Sabaku no Gaara ever concerned himself with other people's problems and affairs?_

_Neji, recovering from his moment of startlement, smirked at the expressionless redheaded young man, who seemed completely unperturbed by the other's looks of surprise. "Hn. I've thought about that time and time again, but unfortunately, that's not a realistic option."_

"_Oh, here we go again… and I thought he'd finally gotten over that reality and destiny shit way back in high school after I beat his ass for telling me it was my destiny to flunk the twelfth grade. Hah! He should no it's not true by now! I mean, look at me! I graduated, didn't I!?" Naruto murmured._

"_Yeah, but only after taking and failing the final exams three times in a row, and then, I still think they just felt sorry for you and figured you couldn't get any stupider, so they let you go." Sasuke stated._

_Neji continued on, ignoring the two, "You see, I am part of the Hyuga family, yes, but I'm the son of the Branch family member, meaning I could never hold an executive position in the clan's company unless it was directly handed down to me by a higher ranking Main Branch family member. My father and Hinata-sama's were twins, but Hiashi-sama was born just two minutes before my father was. Because of this, he was branded into the Branch family, the servant part of the household that supposed to be inferior to the Head household and exists only to service them. So even though I was born years before Hinata-sama ever came into existence, I was marked with the Bird-Cage Seal, a mark placed upon the foreheads of all newborn infants born under the branch family. It's a horrible fate, like having your life cut short before it even begins, but I must suffer the curse of this wretched Seal until death, just as all my Branch family ancestors did before me," he explained with a strained, wry smile, lifting up the cloth headband he always wore on his forehead to show them the small, x shaped marking there._

"_Remember," he said as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, "I'm counting on you all…take care of my little cousin… onegai. And then without another word, he was gone._

_End Flashback_

* * *

**No one's POV**

Deidara quickly ran over to the unmoving figure of Hinata lying limp on the hallway's floor, bending down slightly and stretching out a hand to help her stand up. He was prepared to lift her up himself if he had to, but a wave of relief washed over him all the same as he saw Hinata's eyes flutter open slowly, and her head lift to stare at his hand blankly, before cautiously lifting it the rest of the way to look up at him with wide, curious lavender eyes.

"You okay, un? You look like you needed a hand." he explained grinning, and she once again looked at the hand that had been offered to her in assistance. Finally, after a few minutes of thought, she clutched it firmly in her own smaller one, and Deidara easily pulled her to her feet as he stood up straight.

"A-Arigato," she mumbled, staring at her feet and shuffling them around as if looking up into the blonde's light, misty blue eyes would require a greater amount of energy than she currently possessed.

"Oh, it's nothing!" he chirped, smiling brightly. Hearing the friendly tone of his voice and finally sensing that this man would do her no harm, she looked up and managed to hold eye contact with him for a few minutes, before breaking it just as fast.

"After all," he continued, "you're our guest here, Hinata-hime, and you should be treated like one, right? That means whatever you need, just ask one of us and we'll be there for you in anyway we possibly can."

This time, she did look up at him and maintained eye contact, as she smiled the brightest smile yet since she'd arrived there. It was nice to feel welcome, accepted, like she belonged. It was all she had ever really wanted her whole life, and one of the main reasons she had ever become so attracted to Naruto in the first place, sharing his feelings, longing to be noticed, accepted and appreciated.

The first time she'd ever seen the lonely-looking little blond boy sitting by himself on the swing under the big tree outside the lower school building, she felt as if she was seeing her reflection through his eyes. After that, Hinata had begun to grow curious, wanting to know more about this strange boy, what compelled him to behave the way he did, why the other children all seemed to avoid him and treated him so cruelly, why their parents whispered and shot him dirty looks as if he were some kind of horrible monster. Secretly, she'd began to watch him, following him at times when he roamed around the city's park in search of a playmate or something to do, but made sure she always stayed safely hidden in the shadows, out of mind, out of sight. It was the best way she knew of to get to know him better, how he acted when he thought no one else was around to see; plus, she was too shy to approach him herself.

Over time she realized there was so much more to Naruto than just the idiotic, loudmouthed, trouble-making little boy, desperately seeking attention everyone else believed him to be, he was kind, loyal, brave, strong, passionate, and determined: all the things she so badly wanted to be. A deep-rooted admiration and respect grew within her heart, and gradually, her feelings evolved into something more...

Hinata had been there, secretly watching over him like she normally was, the day when Naruto meant young Sasuke for the first time, and again a few months later, when he first laid eyes on Sakura (and it seemed like his eyes had been stuck to her from that moment on), though it was many years later she finally acknowledged him as anything more than a nuisance, let alone a friend. Both times she'd rejoiced in her mind, happy that Naruto found friends, and would no longer have to be so lonely and sad, although she'd wished deep down in her heart that he would be her best friend, too.

Now that she thought of it, this man gave of a lively, cheerful energy similar to Naruto's, but distinctly different in a way she couldn't quite explain. Maybe that's why she felt so at ease with him; his presence was soothing and she found comfort in the warm, tender glow in his eyes, not nervous and fidgety like she usually did around strangers.

However, regardless as to what her thoughts were on this mysterious man, who had suddenly appeared before her to come to her aid, she bowed swiftly in respect, in a way her father would've said was another sign of her ongoing, insurmountable weaknesses, chronic flaws she'd been born with and could never escape. It would've been fine to have faults, had she been any _normal_ person, born to perhaps, an average suburban family, but it wasn't okay when you were a Hyuga, much less the heiress; in fact, it was absolutely unacceptable, because members of the almighty Hyuga clan weren't supposed to have impurities, it was almost like an unspeakable sin.

They were supposed to be like gods, to be admired from a distance by the less fortunate, inferior mortal people on earth, unholy commoners who weren't sophisticated, intelligent, and all around perfect, like they were, or at least thought themselves to be. For it was an act of softness and submission to bow so lowly when a proper bow was considered to be a quick dip from the waist, but just slow enough to look graceful and show your fluid movements , or at least that's what her father always told her.

"Domo Arigato, I am most grateful to you for your hospitality, and am completely at your mercy."

Deidara smiled and shook the formalities off with a playfully dismissive wave of his hand. "It's no problem, really," She looked at him and blushed a bright, cherry red, making him laugh a little. "Now, since we're both up, how 'bout we have breakfast together and get to know each other a little better? I'm starving, un!"

Hinata smiled happily and nodded her agreement. "Y-Yes, t-t-that s-sounds nice… I-In fact, I was just headed t-t-to the kitchen m-myself, b-before I r-ran into y-you…" Here she looked down in embarrassment, once again refusing to meet Deidara's brilliant, mirth-filled eyes. "…I g-guess I k-kind of got l-lost… Gomen…I-I'm s-still n-not used to this place…" she said sheepishly.

"There's no need to apologize, Hinata. It took me a while to figure out where I was going when I first moved here, too. I can't tell you how many times I got lost on my way to the bathroom at night, and winded up on the wrong side of the house. I even accidentally walked into the wrong bedrooms and got beaten up by the other guys." Hinata looked at him with wide, worried eyes.

Deidara saw her expression and put on a big, goofy lopsided grin. He gently took her by the hand and led her down the hallway, so as not to frighten her by being subtle. Somehow, having Hinata around reminded him of the time he'd been given a small, fluffy-tailed bunny one year for Easter, as a kid. The rabbit had been very scared and was reluctant to have any interaction with anyone else at all, and had stayed snuggled up in one corner of its cage for almost a week. But after a while Deidara had been able to gain the timid animal's trust, and had patiently coaxed it out of its shell, with the help of some kind words and a few carrot sticks.

They arrived at the kitchen a few minutes later, hand in hand, Hinata giggling softly at the small jokes Deidara had been making the whole way there. She already figured out that like most other blondes she'd encountered in the past, Deidara loved to talk, but it didn't bother her since she was naturally quiet and loved to listen. His spunky attitude and charming, slightly boyish voice was something welcoming and familiar in a very uncomfortable, yet weird and wonderful new place.

They continued to make small talk, though Deidara was still doing most of the talking, as Hinata gathered the ingredient to make them both breakfast, and coincidentally, her all-time favorite snack ever: cinnamon rolls. She was glad that they seemed to be fond of eating a lot of junk-food; otherwise, she might not have been able to find all the right ingredients necessary for her mother's famous soft-dough cinnamon roll recipe.

Deidara sat at the table with his mouth watering as Hinata carefully pulled the buns from the oven using oven mitts, and placed them on a platter, before setting it down on the table in front of them and sitting across from the awestruck artist. The air was rich with the sweet smell of cinnamon and fresh baked pastries, as it wafted all through the kitchen and filled the entire apartment, unbeknownst to them, causing a few of their roommates' to stir in their sleep, stomachs growling lowly.

Hinata saw the fair-haired man staring at the large tray of food and began to think that there must be something wrong with the way they looked or something. She swallowed a large gulp of air and started to apologize for wasting the materials, when Deidara slowly reached out a shaky hand to grab a gooey, icing-coated bun near the bottom of the pile and raise it to his slightly quivering lips. Then, he bit into it without any further hesitation, and Hinata held her breath expectantly.

"W-Well, d-does it t-t-taste, o-okay?" she asked nervously, afraid of his answer.

She'd always thought herself to be a pretty decent cook, but only because others sometimes told her so. Her mother used to praise her adamantly as a child, when she'd stand on a stool and move her stubby arms in a circular pattern, stirring the batter until all the clumps dissolved, and getting some of it on the countertop with her clumsy, haphazard movements, every few whisks.

She'd called it a talent, and said that making food seemed to be her 'knack', although Hinata hadn't known what that meant at the time, but she was grateful for the compliments, and sure that if what her mother said was true, then it meant even she had a talent, be it small and insignificant, it was still there, and all hers to keep. Still, due to her family, especially her father's nonstop criticisms and reprimands growing up, she'd grown self-conscious about everything she did, said, and thought, and couldn't help feeling somewhat weary of truly claiming this refined skill as her own.

"Okay?!" he asked through a mouthful of food, "this is the best thing I've ever tasted, un!" He nodded his head vigorously, a steady stream of melodramatic tears flowing from his half-closed eyes. Hinata blushed beet red at the compliment, not quite believing her ears.

"Here," he said after swallowing, see for yourself," And just like that, he pulled off a piece of the warm, sticky pastry and carefully opened up Hinata's mouth, placing the morsel inside, all before she could even react. He grinned and firmly closed her jaws together, knowing she'd probably be too stunned to do so herself, which she was.

Hinata sat there in absolute shock, her mouth closed tightly and her face perhaps one of the deepest shades of red it had ever been, but aside from that, still and motionless as a solid stone statue. Never before in her life (at least not to her recollection), not even when she was small, maybe aside from her infancy, had any one ever bothered to open her mouth and feed her. No, not even with her own family, had there ever been such close contact, or such a high level of intimacy. Everyone was too stiff, and the air was always filled with too much tension for such meager moments of playful enjoyment to take place in the Hyuga household.

Besides that, her father, Hiashi, who _was_ the head of the family and essentially did have all of the say so in what was and was not allowed, would never tolerate such 'childish, improper and uncivilized' behavior under his roof. It was just not the way one of the Hyuga family was supposed to conduct themselves in any social setting whatsoever, and since Hiashi was tight on rules and believed that proper discipline habits began at home, he was adamant about each member of the Hyuga family, main or branch, living up to the high expectations set for them by their stern, business-like leader. Not even the normally looser members like Hanabi dared act out in Hiashi's presence.

However, despite the years of all these things being pounded in to the heiress' head until she was sure that she'd have a mental overload and simply explode, it dawned on Hinata rather suddenly and quickly after this act of lighthearted invitation, that her father was currently not present, and she was free to do as she pleased, away from the constricting boundaries of the upscale, Hyuga mansion and all its strict codes and regulations. She could act as intolerable, childish, uncivilized and improper as she pleased here, and do all the things she never could as a child, if she so desired.

She was certain that none of her other roommates would object, just so long as she made sure not to abuse her newly discovered privileges, and of course Hinata would do no such thing. Deidara was too busy gloating over his momentary victory to notice Hinata pick up another of the sugar-glazed buns from the plate, and tenderly take a piece from its surface just like her companion had done before her.

Shock coursed through his being the moment his own lips were parted by soft, gentle hands and a syrupy taste of something sugary and sweet was placed into his unsuspecting mouth. He sat there for a moment in shock, mouth hanging wide open in the after coil of things, until Hinata mimicked his earlier actions and closed it for him. And then awkward atmosphere was broken by the sound of soft, girlish giggles that were being feebly suppressed by the offending hand of the cherub-faced cutie. It didn't take the artist long after this to recover, and he quickly chewed what had been put in his mouth before licking the sticky icing from his luscious, full lips with a devilish grin still lingering on them afterwards.

"Oh, so you like to play with your food, huh?"

He swiftly swiped a finger into a bit of leftover icing that had been sitting in a metal mixing bowl nearby, forgotten after the majority of its contents had been emptied into the bigger bowl containing the rest of the batter. Hinata went cross-eyed as she watched the icing-dipped finger touch her nose, cheeks, bare forehead (her bangs had parted a bit when she was moving around), and right under her chin.

She pouted, noting that these were all places on her face selected to be deliberately out of her tongue's reach. She gave the grinning Deidara a weak, accusatory look as she got up from her chair, intending on getting a wet towel to clean the stickiness off her face before it dried there and she had to peel it off. Before she could even make her way around the table, however, a warm hand firmly grabbed her forearm, and pulled her closer to its owner, before snaking around her back to settle on her lower waist, another immediately following and locking her in place.

She looked up at Deidara with large, innocent lilac eyes that quickly filled with fright when she remembered the events with the younger of the two Uchiha brothers just the day before. But Deidara wasn't anything like Sasuke from what she could tell. He wouldn't do anything to make her feel uncomfortable, or try to take advantage of her, would he?

Hinata looked up at his face again to see him still giving her that same, mischievous grin from before, his eyes glinting to match the smile. Though she knew it was probably the wrong time to be thinking it, Hinata couldn't help but notice how seductive and charming Deidara looked, smirking in the same mirthful way that reminded her of Naruto, bangs covering one of his eyes and giving him a mysterious look, still half-naked in only his pajama pants, a fact she'd become all but forgotten about until that moment.

Hinata's eyes bulged to the size of saucers when silky blonde hair bent down to brush her face, leaving a tingling sensation on her already rosy cheeks, that quickly ignited to a blazing, white hot inferno when a pair of supple, warm lips lightly touched her face and the tip of a smooth pink tongue darted out to lick the icing away, before a guiding hand turned her face to the other side and the other cheek was given the same treatment (or his tongue better access). Next, there was a torturously slow kiss laid on her forehead, and another quick lick to her chin, followed up by an extremely light, but long, lingeringly passionate kiss on the tip of her sensitive nose.

Afterwards, Deidara looked at her through half-lidded, surprisingly smoldering eyes, brightened yet somehow darkened by a wild flurry of emotions that were currently clouding their surface. As hot and woozy as Hinata felt, she couldn't understand why she was still conscious. "After all the trouble you went through to make such a delicious meal, why go and waste even a little of it?" he whispered in a husky tone that sent shivers down her spine and made her whole body tingle with pleasure, embarrassment, self-shame and surprise.

Why wasn't she unconscious? Things would be a whole lot easier if she could just faint and resolve any issues that resulted from this little incident when she woke up, or better yet, allow them to resolve themselves while she slept. She didn't understand how an innocent act of friendly play between to practical strangers could escalate to the events that had just transpired. How come there was a fluttery feeling that almost felt like desire fluttering up in the pit of her stomach all of a sudden?

Was it because Deidara reminded her so much of Naruto, and she had always secretly imagined herself ending up in a sort of compromising position with the man of her dreams, like the ones two star-struck strangers who'd met in a subway station, or on a crowded city street always ended up in on the sappy, romance movies she sometimes watched with Hanabi as a part of their 'sisterly-bonding' time? She didn't know what these foreign emotions were, and at the moment, couldn't say she really cared to delve deeper into the matter. She was simply contented with being able to have fun for the first time in countless years.

It was like spending a lifetime trapped in a birdcage, wondering endlessly what it would be like to feel the wind rush through your feathers and the sky as your only limitation, and then suddenly having the doors to freedom thrown wide open in your face and being told that that dream could be yours if only you had the courage to reach out and take it.

Hinata had never been greedy, selfish or inconsiderate in anyway, ever, but for the first time in her life she suddenly wanted something completely to herself, even more than she had wanted to be with Naruto, and it didn't seem so bad to reach out and grab it with both hands, holding onto it tightly for fear it might slip through her fingers yet again. Yes, she could almost imagine it…almost. But because she'd lived a lifetime having to be polite and share and limit her proportions, she just couldn't bring herself to wholeheartedly take something, no matter how badly she wanted and deserved it, even if it was rightfully hers. But she laughed in spite of it all, because she had never been closer to obtaining personal freedom even in her wildest dreams.

Now all those years of wishing and waiting patiently had finally paid off and that dream would become a reality if she just waited a little bit longer. She was sure of it. As she thought of this, she had no way of knowing that Deidara was once again thinking of the little Easter bunny from his childhood, and had officially decided that, like his rabbit, he would use patience, kindness, and determination to coax Hinata completely out of her shell and into the sunny place her name was meant to represent. Seeing her face light up like it did when he complimented her cooking, or the adorable look of embarrassment when he'd teased her, would certainly be worth the wait. But just to make sure things worked out as planned, he'd make sure to pamper her with treats just like his bunny; though he wouldn't use carrots.

Perhaps something a little more creative would work better…

* * *

**Okay sorry, about the chapter. And I'm soooo super sorry it took so long to update. But with school, home life, trying to maintain a suitable body weight and figure out how I'm going to survive being dragged off to some cousin's wedding later on this summer, I'm running a pretty tight and busy schedule. You all know how it is, right?**

**I know it probably seemed to drag on and was either really long and boring or short and inconclusive (I don't know because I'm typing this before I actually submit it to Fanfiction's format) As you all probably know already, after you do so, the text either seems longer or shorter than it originally was as a document depending on how much you already had typed before hand. **

**So anyway, I wanted to get this part out of the way so I could get on to the exciting, romantic, funny and fluffy stuff I promised you guys. I've already got the next four chapter mapped out, and I promise they'll be MUCH better than this one was. I just needed a kind of filler to connect the events of last chapter with the future stuff, since I didn't want to skip straight ahead to the middle of the month and wanted to show a little of what her first few days their were like. **

**And besides, I thought you SasuxHina fans might be curious as to how that whole situation turned out (see last chapter) and since I'm a HUGE fan of that pairing myself, I decided to add that part in, along with a little extra DeixHina fluffiness on the side, sorry it wasn't much though!**

**I promise this story won't be bias just because of my own personal preferences in couples, and I'll try my best not to alter the characters personalities too much (I know I don't like reading fics beyond mildly OOC characters, especially alternate universe fics where they do things or have jobs you know they'd enver have for real.) I mean I know it's called Fan**_fiction_**, but I think there should be a certain amount of legitimacy to their personalities, because if you're really fans of the characters then you'll try to preserve as much of their original representations as possible, right?**

**Making Hinata as outgoing as Naruto or having Sasuke be so laid-back that he doesn't have his normal punkish attitude and wouldn't hurt a kitten isn't really doing them any justice, now is it? Sorry if you guys feel like I'm scolding you, and I know I'm rambling on a bit, since I'm already supposed to be off the computer, but I just wanted to say that. Sorry all you fans of the OOC altered characters, but I just don't think they should be so different, at least not without a liable reason for doing so Eg: how Sasuke became an emo, antisocial jerk after the massacre of his clan. Okay, well, goodbye for now, and please stay tuned for the next installment, it promises to be much better than this one, as the whole gang gets together for a day out at the beach! Surf's up! Lol Until then!! =D**

**P.S. Wow, looking back, I sure do say sorry a lot! I have to try and work on that a little… well, bye!**


	4. A Day of Beachfront Play

**Authoress' Notes:**

**This is chapter four, and as I promised, here is where things really start to get interesting. It's really weird, 'cause I actually typed up this chapter before I even started on the actual story itself, and it was already set to be in Hinata's POV! I didn't know when it'd come in handy or if I'd actually ever use it but I just decided to wing it anyway. I do that alot, honestly. I'll just start typing up random parts to stories and then combining the pieces to make chapters of stories I thought up and may or may not end up using.**

**But anyways...I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I liked writing it, and as always… please read and review!! **

**P.S. In case you all were wondering, which I highly doubt, in this story Hinata calls those who she knows well by honorific suffixes such as '**_chan_**' and '**_kun_**' and those who she doesn't know as well something like '**_san_**'. So she calls anyone in the penthouse she's already met (insert male's name here)-'**_kun_**', and any who she's still unfamiliar with, '**_san_**', okay?**

**Oh, and you have no idea how many times I tried to post this chapter, only to have the dumb thing not save, causing me to have to go back ans type it all over again. Along with everything else, it was oh sooo frustrating! So blame the slight setbacks on fanfiction's crappy document downloading system!**

* * *

Chapter Four:

_A Day of Beachfront Play_

* * *

Hinata woke up early the next morning around eight 'o clock. She stretched her arms high above her head, rubbed her eyes, and stifled a small, cute yawn before climbing out of bed and folding back the covers in to their neat position. Usually, she'd shower and get dressed before going to get breakfast, but this particular morning she found her stomach was aching from hunger and she couldn't wait; she wanted food now!

Finally, after being there for almost a whole week now, she was sure she knew her way around enough not to get lost like she had the first time. Although that incident had provided her with the perfect opportunity to meet one of the other residents living in the penthouse, and she now found that she got along with the older blonde, Deidara, the clay artist and fashion designer, quite nicely.

Still, she hadn't gotten around to formerly meeting all of the other men living there, yet, but hoped she would soon. Some of them spent a great deal of time in their rooms and so she never really saw them much or had the chance to chat, others, like Deidara and Sasori, were so busy at work that they didn't get to lounge around and keep her company during the week, since Hinata had yet to find a job, and so she often felt as if she was home alone, and stayed in her large and empty room, feeling lonely.

She was too shy to ask any of the guys to come and keep her company, or if they would take her with them whenever they went on their little outings outside the apartments, she didn't want to be a burden. But she tried not to think about all that as she got up to great the rising morning.

Washing her hands and face in the bathroom, she went back out to her room, through the little lounge area and into the kitchen, where a sight she wasn't expecting greeted her round, virgin eyes…

Men… Shirtless, half-naked men…with muscular chests and gorgeous bodies still warm from sleep, their eyes remaining starry and hazed like the night before had been. They weren't all assembled, obviously some were earlier risers than others, but the six who were there were more than enough for Hinata.

Deidara, sitting at the kitchen table, clad in only his sky blue boxer shorts, noticed her leaning in the doorway trying to keep her balance, her eyes wide, face pale and lips parted slightly as she seemed to be gasping for air. "Hey, Hinata-chan, are you alright, yeah? You look kind of sick, un!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side to see if she was okay.

This statement drew the attention of the other five and they all came rushing over, crowding around the shy girl to see what was wrong. Now Hinata had six hot guys with warm, hard, strong bodies leaning over her, ready to help if they could. It was too much for her to handle, and of course… she fainted.

Luckily, Itachi, who'd been standing closest to her when she fell, was able to catch her before she hit the floor. He fully hoisted her up in his lean, strong arms, and she unconsciously cuddled further into his chiseled chest, which was covered by a tight gray t-shirt. He looked down at the peaceful face of the sleeping girl and sighed, a strained, barely visible blush lightly coloring his cheeks. "It seems that Hinata-san isn't feeling well this morning and needs more rest. I will take her back to her room and put her to bed. She can come join us later if she is feeling better," he said smoothly, turning to the others as he did so, then carrying Hinata off, back to her bedroom and laying her down on the sheets, pulling the covers up to her chin and drawing the curtains closed again so she wouldn't be disturbed by the penetrating rays of the intensifying light outside.

Just as he was about to leave, Hinata stirred, then whimpered, causing him to look back. She was lying on her side facing him with her eyes wide and pleading, her arms stretched out like a child asking to be picked up. Itachi not knowing what else to do slowly walked back to the bed, with a small, inaudible sigh. He stood over the girl's curled up form that was mostly hidden underneath the warm covers, gazing at her with blank, emotionless black eyes.

"I-Itachi-kun…p-please s-s-stay w-with me…at least until I fall back asleep…onegai?" She gave him a pitiful, puppy-eyed stare, accompanied by an involuntary pout that, unknown to her, made the Uchiha's stomach flutter, ever so slightly. Silently, he nodded, and she moved over to allow him to sit on the side of the bed.

She smiled warmly at him, causing another spasm of anxiousness to tighten up the inside of his stomach. "D-Domo arigato," she mumbled, yawning.

"Hai," he replied, stroking her head gently, like he used to do with Sasuke when he was younger. "Now, sleep." he commanded, and just like that, she did.

He continued to sit there, playing with the long strands of hair a little bit more, and twirling the indigo tresses around his finger. Finally, he stopped and stood up, bending down to brush a bit of hair from her sleeping, angelic face, then turning to go…once again.

This time, the Hyuga remained in slumber, and did not try to stop him.

* * *

**Hinata's POV**

I woke up from my little nap, again much later, at least twenty minutes past one, according to the bedside digital clock niisama had brought for me earlier during the week. Wow, I must've been even sleepier than I thought… I bathed and dressed before walking out into the large sitting area to see ¾'s of the penthouses' other occupants were already assembled.

I heard a familiar sounding voice and looked over to see Neji-niisan talking about something with

Some were talking casually, while others made full use of the 68' flat screen TV built into one of the wide walls, and my other old childhood friend, Inuzuka Kiba, lay on the floor wrestling with his now overgrown dog, Akamaru. How I'd missed an animal of that monstrous size was beyond my fathoming. I mean, how could anyone possibly miss him unless they were literally blind? He was huge, standing as high as a Great Dane and unquestionably as massive as a St. Bernard! But I guess it was possible I just got so swept up in all the excitement of moving in that I hadn't noticed…

Unfortunately, I hadn't really gotten much of a chance to talk to Kiba since he was normally already away at work by the time I got up, which was usually around noon or so. I had nothing against getting up early, but after all the years of getting up at the crack of dawn to start breakfast and prepare for my private lessons, I would take a few extra hours of sleep whenever they were available. It felt nice…peaceful, to not have to follow a strict schedule.

I smiled at the sight; they had all been so warm and inviting in making me feel welcome. I'd even gotten used to seeing Sasuke wake up super grumpy, Naruto-kun's loud snoring echoing down the halls, Deidara-kun and Sasori-san arguing about art at seven or eight in the morning, and Hidan-san cursing everyone that dared meet his eyes or go in his room to try and wake him up.

Although, I had also grown accustomed to filling my seemingly endless long days away from home with plenty of paperwork on company policies I had to recite and memorize, along with other laborious tasks my instructors gave me; so in short, I was beginning to grow quite bored not really having anything worthwhile to do to occupy my time.

I thought about asking one of my housemates where I might be able to find work, but then dismissed it as being selfish, sense they didn't have to take me into their home in the first place and all had their own lives to think of, so burdening them with my own extra dilemmas wouldn't make me a very good houseguest, now would it?

Suddenly, someone's cell phone rang loudly, playing some funny little ring tone and startling me into jumping back to reality and out of my thoughts. Naruto laughed nervously and pulled a phone from out of his back pocket, indirectly admitting he was the culprit.

He looked down at the caller id and shot us an apologetic grin before declaring that he'd better answer it or he'd get his head chewed off or something like that before walking into the next room rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. From where I was I could here him answer and the person on the other line yell a rather loud greeting, which I imagined would even make Naruto-kun cringe, before proceeding to talk poor Naruto-kun's ear off.

There'd be a brief pause when he'd answer, though I couldn't here what he said, and then they'd continue on, rambling endlessly as if they could literally talk all day. Finally, I heard him hang up, and the rest of us casually walked into the room as if we hadn't just been standing by the door listening out for anything interesting they might have had to say. Yes, even I was guilty; I may be considerate and usually try to respect other people's privacy, but even I have a strong sense of curiosity, and there's no shame in that…right?

"So, what's up?" Kiba-kun asked for all of us. There was no doubt that we all wanted to know what the other person had to say.

"That was Ino, asking if we all wanted to hang out at the pier today with her and the rest of the gang; they're having some kind of shopping thing or something, and they said we could come with them since they were planning on going to the beach sometime before that," Naruto-kun informed us.

Ino? I thought, confusedly. Now why did that name sound so familiar…?

"Humph," Sasuke-kun grunted. "My guess is they probably invited us along so we could come carry their shopping bags,"

"Regardless as to why they did, I already said yes, and that goes for all of us," Naruto-kun said nonchalantly with an innocent smile and a shrug of his shoulders. The rest of the guys glared menacingly at him and he gave them all a cheeky grin in response.

"So put on your swimsuits and pack up those beach bags boys and girl, 'cause we're headed to the beach!!" Naruto declared excitedly, running away immediately after as he saw Hidan-san, Sasuke-kun, Kiba-kun and Neji-niisama approach him with various "weapons" ranging from shoes to a metal baseball bat in their hands and murderous looks in their eyes.

I watched them chase Naruto-kun out of the around the room, down the hall and through the kitchen before sighing to myself and deciding I'd better get ready to go, seeing as I was expected to go too since Naruto-kun had said "_girl_".

The only problem was I didn't have any bathing suits except the ones Hanabi got me for my birthday last year that I'd never worn because they showed way too much skin. But I guess I would have to find a way to make it work until Neji-nii finished bringing all my clothes from the house…

I went back in my room to pack my bag and choose between the v-neck one piece with an open back and tie-strings, scandalous tankini set that also had a v-neckline and was made from the same figure-fitting, water-proof, absorbent spandex-like material and included short shorts, or the cute but too little black swim-dress with the light purple bow and built-in violet bikini bottoms(not that any one would be looking down there since I resolved to stay on the beach the whole time, but still, it helped to have some extra coverage, just in case…). In the end I chose the patterned tankini set.

Though the one-piece was less revealing, the tankini was strangely more appealing for some reason. Maybe I had times when I wanted to lose my inhibitions and show off a bit, but I really think my decision was based more upon my lack of previous experience in selecting fancy fashion apparel, since I'd always just left that to Hanabi. I just hoped no one would really think too much of it, because I was already starting to feel self-conscious and I haven't even spent more than two and a half minutes wearing the thing!

I had to admit, though the clothing was tight enough to showcase every last curve of creamy smooth flesh I'd been trying so hard to hide since I'd reached the height of my pubescent climax in my late teen years, the silky smooth material felt surprisingly good on my own delicate skin, and it was as light as a feather. Still, no matter how much I tried to pull the bottom down to at least cover up my lower thighs; it would ride right back up again, leaving me to feel fidgety, uncomfortable, and overly exposed. In the end, I put the baggiest t-shirt I could find on over it and hid the bottoms underneath a pair of old, grey gym shorts that were usually worn when I wanted to lounge around the house, go to sleep, or just have something to hide anything I deemed to uncomfortable and inappropriate to be seen wearing in public...like, oh say, this hideous bright green swimsuit!

Why…Why had I ever even agreed to this…? Did I want to torture myself to death; was I some kind of masochist beneath my docile lamb-like surface?!

Those were the kinds of crazy questions that raced through my mind as I nervously went to meet the others back in the living room, subconsciously tugging at the bottom of shorts, and inwardly squirming at how unfamiliar the airy lightness of the bathing suit felt against my skin.

I walked into the den area to see Deidara and Sasori sitting on the comfy black leather couch and once again arguing about something art-related, both clad in T-shirts and swim trunks, Gaara seated on the crimson loveseat opposite them and watching the scene with obvious disinterest. However, he wasn't dressed for outdoor activities, especially not at a sandy, sunny beachside location. Instead he had on a pair of dark navy jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and a button-up crimson red shirt with a black flame design around the sleeves and bottom.

A pair of stylish and expensive-looking crimson sunglasses was perched atop his messy red head. He looked quite attractive in his casual attire, and like he was ready for a day out on the town; but notheless, my only concern was that he would become overheated should the weather take a turn for the hotter, and then his heavier, darker clothes would make him feel uncomfortable and sick.

But then again, if I remembered correctly, he and his older cousin, Sasori-san, were supposed to be from Suna, a dry, desert-like land that's climate was immensly different from Konoha's usually fair, seasonally mild temperatures, despite the fact that the two regions were pretty close distance wise. So maybe I was just overreacting and Gaara-san would be just fine.

After all, he had spent most of his life living in a drier, hotter desert-like terrain, right? So what was a little heat from the sun on a warm spring day at the beach to him? I should probably be more worried about myself, as I knew one thing for sure: I'd have to pack plently of sunscreen, or I was going to fry like a fresh fish thrown on a sizzling grill with my fair, pale complexion.

I sat down on the loveseat next to Gaara, silently hoping he wouldn't mind too much. I saw him glance my way out of the corner of his eyes, then, to my surprise he addressed me with, "You're Hyuga Hinata, are you not?" he asked in his deep, smooth, monotonous voice.

I was so stunned I could only nod, my mind too shocked to form words. He didn't seem the type for holding conversations. Finally, I regained myself and spoke, "Y-Y-Yes, t-that's me." I stammered.

Hn," he grunted; most quiet guys around here seemed to do that a lot, even Neji-niisan. "I am Sabaku no Gaara, in case you didn't already know." I smiled brightly, happy to be able to engage in a nice conversation with one of the normally stoic members of the penthouse.

"Hai. It's very nice to officially meet you Gaara-san! I hope we can become friends one day." I exclaimed, clasping my hands together in front of me.

For a while, he didn't say anything, and I was afraid I had offended him somehow, but before I could apologize, he spoke again. "...Friends, huh?" He said the word '_friends_' like it was a strange and foreign language on his tongue. I didn't know what to make of the quiet, secretive tone of voice he suddenly started speaking in, or the way he looked down so his bangs shadowed his aquamarine eyes in a rather mysterious way. I thought I heard him mumble at last, "...I think I'd like that...I've always wondered what it felt like...to have someone as precious as a female friend..." but I wasn't sure if my eyes had been deceiving me or not, and I dared not ask him to repeat his words. We spent the next few minutes in a semi-awkward silence.

Then, the doorbell rang, and Deidara-kun, being the excitable person he is, sprang up from his seat on the couch and rushed to go answer it. He opened it, and five girls eagerly hurried in wearing flip-flops and carrying well-stuffed tote bags most likely full of sunscreen, mushy teen magazines, towels, and other beach material.

I recognized one girl instantly and she spotted me at the same time, rushing forward just as I did, to hug me. "Oneechan!" she cried happily.

"Imouto!" I laughed, picking her up and twirling her around a few times, then, stopping to put her down before we both got dizzy.

After we'd embraced, exchanged greetings and confessed how much we missed each other, I turned to the other four women standing before me and blushed, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. They were all very beautiful, and oddly enough, they all looked pretty familiar, and somehow, standing next to them, I just felt so, well…plain. They looked at me and I looked at them as none of us were really sure what to say or do next, luckily, or maybe not, it was at that moment that the guys suddenly decided to make their grand entrance and the rest kind of took care of itself.

Everyone exchanged friendly greetings; giving small hugs, special handshakes, playful punches and pats on the back and when all that was finally done, Hanabi-chan, unsurprisingly taking it upon herself to be the initiator, made the formal introductions.

She had always been the more outgoing one between the two of us, and I was slightly envious at how she could fit right into almost any social setting with relative ease, and never lacked confidence in herself or her own abilities, which allowed her to adapt quickly and often drew others to her like moths to a candlelight, which was good, since she just adored being the center of attention. It was funny how we were sisters and yet she was as bold by nature as I was bashful. Total opposites, and still we get along perfectly...well, most of the time. We do have our moments, but then, what siblings don't?

"Neechan, I think you know Ino-chan, Temari-chan, TenTen-chan and Sakura-chan, but anyway, that's them. Ino-chan's the one who brought me here!" she exclaimed, smiling proudly up at the beautiful blond woman. "She said since I was your little sister and Neji-nii's little cousin I could come with you!" I smiled down at her, giggling at how her cute, girly face looked so much like mine and yet, so different.

I could never pull off such a confident, gleeful grin like she could, and yet, there was something about that twinkle in her pale eyes that made me envision myself at fourteen, a time when I was neither in a rush to grow up or filled with the commonly felt, longing to stay young, unlike Hanabi, who thought she was already all grown up and carried her self as maturely and lady-like as she possibly could, although try as she might she couldn't do much to disguise the fact that she was a typical teenage girl. She liked boys, makeup, gossiping, fashion, shopping and other girlish things.

My thoughts were interrupted by a chirpy, loud, slightly shrill voice, like the kind that might belong to a cheerleader, fashion princess, popular high school girl, or someone else who was used to being noticed, and almost impossible to ignore. "Oh my God, Hinata-chan!! Is that really _you_?! It's been _so_ long and you've grown up so much! Oh, you've finally filled out haven't you; you look amazing!" I was enveloped into a hug by the radiant and vivacious beauty that was Yamanaka Ino.

I hadn't seen her since we graduated high school, and we'd also grown up together; although we weren't super close friends, we did talk comfortably on occasion. We never hung out much after middle school though, because that's when the clicks really started to form and we were on completely opposite ends of the swimming pool, so to speak.

According to high school's officially unofficial status quo, she was a popular and I was a nobody; therefore, we weren't allowed to associate during school hours. I can't really say I blame Ino though, because she was everybody's idol and being seen talking to a loser like me might've seriously done some damage to her well-built reputation. In fact, there was really no other way to describe her other than the poster child of perfection.

She was voted Ms. Popularity our senior year, Prom Queen both junior and senior year, had been captain of the varsity cheerleading squad, volley ball and softball teams, held a highly coveted position on the student council, along with being pretty, confident, smart, strong, athletic and a natural born leader, she had me beat hands-down in just about every area there was to compete in.

Everyone loved her, too, so there wasn't really a need to count the ballets when they picked senior class representatives, but they did it anyway just to be fair. But of course, as expected, she'd won by a landslide victory. And now standing before me she was just as stunning as ever and at least in my opinion her beauty still outmatched mine by far and probably always would.

I blushed profusely at being so close to the beautiful woman and hugged her back gingerly, mumbling a shy greeting and telling her how great she looked as well. She smiled her charming, white-toothed smile and acted as if she was surprised I thought so, even twirling a strand of her luscious, long, blonde hair around her index finger to make herself seem more modest, but then that was gone and she was back to passively basking in the light of her own radiance again.

"Really? You think so? Well, I have been trying to keep myself and shape and the diet I've been on has really helped too, plus, being out in the sun and tending to all those flowers gives me a nice, even tan and helps me stay young-looking," she said with a well-timed flick of her silky hair, happy to share her beauty tips with someone less fortunate and well…less attractive like me.

Suddenly Ino's childhood friend and rival, Naruto-kun's crush and longtime love interest, and Sasuke's other good friend, Haruno Sakura stepped up, pushing Ino out of the way and coming over to say hello to me as well.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Look at you! You really_ do_ look great! Much better than that wrinkly, haggish old pig over there! Such a shame, really, only twenty-four and already, she's getting crow's feet and age spots… Oh, and it looks like a few warts may be popping up on her snout, too. You'd better get some of Tsunade-sensei's complexion cream, wouldn't want any unsightly blemishes marring our lovely faces, would we?" Sakura teased, smiling innocently at Ino after she'd hugged me and left me smelling like the sweet champagne-rich perfume she had on; it was delightfully strong, but not overpowering, and smelt soft, fragile and feminine, like you'd expect a pretty woman to smell.

Sakura, once teased for having a wide forehead and abnormally pink hair, had blossomed into a dazzling young woman that seemed to shine as brightly as the morning sun. Her skin was pale, yet darker than mine, and it complemented her pastel pink tresses nicely. The shimmering light green orbs that were her eyes made you feel as if you were looking at healthy green grass as it swayed in the summer wind, and her smile could light up your day in one, quick flash.

I could definitely see why Naruto-kun had a huge crush on her for so many years, although she only ever had eyes for Sasuke, who, even when he started dating some of his fan girls still would never give Sakura the time of day. Perhaps it was because he cared for her as more of a friend or a little sister and didn't want her getting hurt?

The memories I held of Sakura were fairly fond, but also mixed with some bittersweet ones as well. She'd been nice enough… …well, most of the time, but also had some rather_ violent_ tendencies, from what I can recall, especially when Sasuke and Naruto were involved. She would often hit Naruto on the head and other vulnerable parts of his body, much to my dismay and horror, as a form of reprimanding him.

However, her methods of violence seemed to completely dissolve whenever Sasuke came around. It was like she was a whole other person, sometimes. While her subtle acts of aggression were usually aimed directly _toward _Naruto-kun, when it came to Sasuke-kun, they were typically directed at someone _else_, as in Ino or another one of the girl she considered rivals and was constantly competing with for Sasuke's undivided attention (which by the way, _none_ of them ever got).

Next a woman with sandy blond hair pulled in to two sets of pigtails, dark blue-green eyes the color of the ocean right before a vicious storm, a sly smirk and sultry face strolled up and embraced me warmly, then released me only to fondly ruffle my hair, which I'd spent so much time trying to straighten just moments before. She did the same thing to Gaara, but he simply brushed her hand aside and smoothed his hair back to its original semi-messy state.

I pouted at the damage done to my hair, and she laughed heartily. "Hey there, Hina-chan, Gaara. It's been a while, huh kiddos?" I looked at her in confusion, and she seemed to notice my bewilderment. I didn't know this woman at all, or at least I didn't think so, and yet, she seemed to recognize me. How was that possible?

"I'm Temari, Gaara's older sister. I transfered to your school late your second year there I believe and we hit it off well. Remember, now?" Suddenly, my face lit up with recognition, and something a kin to a full blown blush of embarassment, and I nodded shamefully, wondering how I could have ever forgot such a familiar face. But Temari didn't seem to broken up about it, she just laughed again and waved my apologetic look off, good-naturedly.

And then there was TenTen… I clearly remembered her as being one of the biggest tomboys at Pine Wood High. Despite this fact, I'd always found her to be very pretty (as far as most typical tomboys go) and she did have her fair share of male admirers in her junior and senior years of high school, mostly jocks and members of various sports teams who just couldn't believe a girl could be so good at sports and usually asked her out (only to be rejected) after she literally beat them at their own games.

Few people knew besides me, but TenTen had secretly always had a huge crush on Neji-niisan ever since elementary school, though I doubt he'd ever noticed, and had always thought of her as a confidant and close female friend. I knew it really hurt her even though she never actually showed it, and it killed me to see her hide her pain away from the unobservant eyes of our peers. So many times I had wanted to tell Neji about TenTen's feelings for him so he could ask her out and they could be happy together, but I respected her enough to allow her to wait until she was ready.

Although I often warned her that if she waited too long, she might miss out on her only chance to be with him someday. You see, I regarded TenTen as my older sister because she had always looked out for me ever since we met in middle school, which she attended before me since she was two years older, in the same classes with Neji, and neither went to the same grade school I did.

"Okay, now that the gang's all here, let's get going!" Kiba-kun shouted eagerly. Akamaru, who was wearing a dark blue bandana and a pair of doggy sunshades, woofed his agreement.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you guys...but some of the others are waiting for us downstairs in the cars, and the rest will meet us when we get there. Hanabi-chan's taken the liberty of getting us our own personal limo, complete with a driver to chauffeur us around for today. So let's not waste anymore time!" Ino exclaimed, flicking her long hair back over her shoulder and sauntering off in a dignified manner.

Oh, how I wish I had her long, supple legs and charismatic stride...I imagined that Hanabi would grow up more or less just like her: bold, beautiful, popular, and highly admired. She had already become twice as popular in her first few months at high school then I had been in all my four years combined. But I couldn't say I was mad, maybe a bit jealous, but not dangerously so. The social spotlight had always happened to be where Hanabi shined the brightest, so it was really no wonder she was well liked.

Hanabi giggled and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hall and into the elavator, closing the door before the others could get in. I shot her a disapproving look and she returned it with a devilish little smile. "What? Is it so wrong to want to spend as much one on one time with my big sis as possible, especially now that we don't see each other everyday anymore?" She pouted, making her lower lip quiver in a cute, pitiful way.

I sighed, wondering how someone as childishly charming as my little sister could somehow always think of just what to say to cheer me up, whether she knew I was down or not. I guessed it was just another one of the many talents I'd probably never have...

* * *

I got in and climbed in the back, wedged between Naruto and Sasuke. Neji-niisama, TenTen-neechan, Lee-san, and Hanabi were sandwiched in the row behind us. Deidara-kun, Sasori-san, Itachi-kun, Hidan-san, and Kiba-kun were in the row in front of us. Shino, Sai-san, Sakura and Ino were in the middle row. And lastly, Gaara-san and his siblings, along with Choji and Shikamaru sat in the row closest to the front. The others had indeed been waiting for us downstairs, and it had been a joyous morning of reunions all around as I was able to greet friends I hadn't seen since high school.

But for whatever reason, both Ino and Sakura seemed angry about something; usually, there'd be no telling what it was. Knowing those two, it could be anything from not having any accessories to match their outfits to running out of protein shakes that very morning and having to settle for an actual breakfast instead. If I remember correctly, when we were all in high school together, Sakura and Ino were always trying out these outrageous diets, trying to 'maintain their shapely figures' as they'd say, even though they didn't really need to put much effort into that like most people, since it seemed to come naturally. Effortly staying fit was part of being perfect after all. But in this case, I'd be willing to bet half my father's fortune on the fact that it was because neither one could sit next to their crushes, Shikamaru and Sasuke.

At one point they'd both liked Sasuke-kun, and I can't even begin to describe the stress and headaches that caused the rest of us, but eventually, Ino supposedly gotten over her thing for Sasuke, and set her sights on the lazy, pineapple-ponytail wearing Nara genius. I couldn't help feeling somewhat sorry for Shikamaru… Although I remembered Ino as being a wonderful, caring person at heart, she had a tendency to come off as bossy and somewhat abrasive if you didn't know her well, throwing wild tantrums when she couldn't have her way. But Shikamaru is her childhood friend, so if they ever got together he should be okay… At least I hope so, for his sake.

Anyway, after we'd all got situated, Hanabi, who'd apparently been on her phone with the chauffeuring company, informed us that the driver father hired to chauffeur us around for the day, couldn't make it, and it would take the replacement driver nearly an hour and a half to arrive. Of course, none of us, not even me, wanted to wait that long, and so Ino, took it upon herself to climb up from her spot and into the front row seat to drive.

I was utterly astounded by some of the claims Sakura made on Ino's driving skills (or lack there of, apparently), like that she couldn't drive her way to a shopping mall even if it was a few blocks away, and had had her liscense suspended a total of three times in the past year and a half for pedestrian endangerment (something about a sidewalk and an old lady attempting to cross it at the wrong intersection, at least according to Ino), minor collisions, driving while talking on the cell phone (a federal crime in certain heavily populated places of the city), traffic safety violations like making illegal turns, along with going nearly ninety miles in a strictly 20-mile school zone, and other such incidents. In short, she was a chronic offender. After hearing all this, of course I was begining to feel a little uneasy. I mean, can you really blame me?

Still, she assured us was an expierienced and expertise driver as she got behind the wheel and cranked the engine, although she'd conveniently forgotten her license at home, and I, for the life of me, still can't figure out why Neji agreed to let her drive in the first place. From the minute she pulled out of the estate-sized driveway and onto the curb, I felt as if I was on one herky-jerky rough and tumble rollercoaster ride, as she swerved in and out of traffic, barely missed hitting little kids and elderly pedestrians as they attempted to cross the street, and those of us who were forced to put our fate into her crazy hand's, clutched onto anything we could for dear life. That included the sides of the car seats, door handles, our possessions, and each other.

I blushed fiercely when Naruto impulsively hugged me to him for comfort, and was rather surprised when Sasuke squeezed my arm for support. "If you ask me, the way Ino drives, we'd be better off with an actual pig behind the wheel!" Naruto whispered not so quietly in my ear. I flushed bright red as his warm breath hit my face and filled my nostrils with ramen scented air.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and mumbled, "That's the thing, nobody asked you," I could tell there was argument on the rise and wanted to stop it before it got started, but I was literally in no position to do or say anything.

"What'd you say teme?! I wasn't talking to you I was talking to Hinata-chan here, so there!" he said, keeping one arm wrapped firmly around my waist while leaning over to stick his tongue out at Sasuke and use his middle finger to pull down his lower right eyelid.

"Will both of you just shut the hell up!" Neji-niisan barked. "I've already got a huge headache from that non-driving Ino blasting that senseless pop teen drivel and now you two want to go and make it worse by arguing so close to my ear… and my cousin!" It was obvious niisan hadn't had his morning cup of coffee yet, and until he did, the rest of us would have to suffer his constant irritability.

"Calm down Neji," TenTen soothed, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and slowly coaxing him back into his seat, making his lean back into a relaxing posture. "Enjoy this topsy-turvy ride and just think of all this as one of those crazy adventures like we used to have in high school. This'll sure be one to tell the kids about, right?" she laughed, trying to make him ease up a bit.

I could see the smirk slowly work its way across his charming features and couldn't help but blush at how handsome it made him look. "Funny, I wasn't aware I had any children." he returned teasingly, causing TenTen to blush in a way that meant her mind had wondered on to parts unknown.

I briefly wondered what she could possibly have thought of when he said that, but then quickly brushed it aside before my own mind carried me too far off into the point of no return.

When we got to the beach, everyone quickly jumped out of the limo and helped unpack, the guys grabbing the coolers and "heavy stuff" like the surf boards and other sport's equipment, while the girls toted their beach bags and got the spare towels from the back, all except TenTen, who refused to let someone else carry her prized surfboard, and insisted on carrying all her other things as well, wanting to prove that females could be just as strong as their muscular, macho-headed male counterparts.

After everything was unpacked and we'd staked out an area large enough for everyone to spread out but still be within close proximity should we have to get back in touch quickly, everyone split up to go off and do their own things. I found a comfortable spot in the shade and decided I'd sit down and close my eyes for abit, soaking up some of the mellower rays from the sun, and enjoying the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore, seagulls trilling chidingly to each other and the feeling of being surrounded by so many wonderful people I was proud to call my friends…and family.

Everyone was still relaxing out on the beach and seemed to be having fun. I had chosen a comfortable little spot in the middle of the beach and set my beach towel and umbrella down there to watch everyone else soak up the surf, sand and sun. I could see Shikamaru and Choji lounging nearby in the sand.

Shikamaru seemed to be half asleep, and was peacefully lying back on his beach blanket, absently staring up into the bright, clear blue sky. Choji was seated near his friend, still wearing his green T-shirt and swim trunks, periodically bringing his hand in and out of a large bag of chips he'd brought along with him, stuffing each handful into his mouth before hastily scooping up some more.

Further down the beach, I spotted Kiba-kun playing fetch with Akamaru, throwing a stick to the giant dog and eagerly waiting for him to retrieve it. Each time he'd bring it back, he'd give him a proud pat on the head and whisper words of praise in his big, floppy ears.

Ino was lying back on a lounge chair in her cute, light blue-checkered string bikini, with her long, creamy legs crossed neatly and her designer sunglasses down over her sky blue eyes. She seemed intent on getting a good tan instead of joining the others in frolicking around, and I only hoped she wouldn't leave with sunburn and unsightly bikini lines. To me, she was far too beautiful to have to bear visible flaws.

I smiled as I saw more of my friends enjoying themselves and engaging in their own unique activities. Temari and TenTen were having a wind-surfing race, and Lee was refereeing. Gaara-kun was sitting alone by himself, and I felt very tempted to join him, just to keep him company, but then I remembered what Naruto-kun had said about Gaara not really trusting other people and preferring to keep his distance, so I stayed where I was, though determined to conquer my hesitations and confront him if his mood still hadn't changed later on by lunchtime.

Closer to shore, I could see Naruto-kun splashing Sakura and hear her laughing and pretending to scold him playfully, while secretly enjoying the attention and proceeding to use her slender arms and super, inhuman strength to send a tidal wave splash crashing down on him as payback, laughing even more when the water calms after frothing up a bit to reveal a soaking wet Naruto that looks like he's nearly been drowned and is cough and spluttering up water with his electric blue eyes wide open in surprise.

I smile wryly, almost wishing it was me out there, hanging out and playing with Naruto, but knowing that it never will be, because no matter how much time goes by, he still only has eyes for the fair-skinned beauty of a pinkette known as Haruno Sakura. And what man in their right man could blame him? Even I, another girl, can see and openly admit that she's toned, slender and petite with perfect pale skin and a flawless complexion along with attractive short pink hair and dazzling jade green eyes that give her a kind of exotic look, but also enhance her natural beauties.

I looked around, hoping to spot Neji-niisan, and sure enough, I did. He appeared to be watching Lee referee the water match between Konoha's biggest tomboy and Suna's all-original "fan girl" as she often called herself back in high school. Or he could have been watching the match itself…yes, his eyes seemed to be focused further out past Lee, and were locked directly onto TenTen's lithe, athletic form as she gracefully leaned her body from one side to the other, steering around Temari and successfully avoided a collision as the two continued to ride the ocean's calm but carrying waves and prepared for the final lap.

I could just barely make out the faint smirk that spread across his face when she passed Temari, who wasn't far behind, and knew he was probably satisfied that TenTen had the lead and was currently winning the race. That is until a giant wave came out of nowhere and swept TenTen under water.

"TENTEN!!" I heard myself scream.

Neji and Lee were already running in to the water where TenTen's overturned windsurfer was still floating. Temari had already abandoned her own vessel to assist in the search while Naruto and Sakura were already swimming over. Everyone from our group and even a few volunteers I didn't know who had seen the accident came over from shore to help out. I ran in to the water until I was standing knee-deep and called the name of the bun-wearing brunette woman.

Just then, another wave came crashing toward the shore out of nowhere, and I looked up to see a mighty ten-footer bearing down on me with no chance of escape. I heard someone scream my name, before water filled my nose, ears, eyes, and lungs, and I felt myself sinking. Soon, my world was enveloped in darkness...

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**Once again, I am sooo sorry this chapter took so long to post, but I wanted to try and get in as much as possible. I did the best I could, considering the fact that the parts of this chapter were divided into like four or five different documents, due to brief spurts of inspiration for certain parts of this chapter coming randomly, and my grandparent's trying to limit my time on the computer because of the tests I had at school last week, along with rushing me off whenever they wanted to get on and try to look up something. This means I didn't always have time to save and label the documents the way I wanted, and so they often got mixed up with my oodles of other unlabeled documents, which really is A LOT, unfortunately.**

**But anyway, I'll try to be quicker with my next updates, but I can't really guarantee anything. Oh, and before I forget to ask, how did you all like my portrayal of Ino and the others? Since I made Ino seem like the all-around perfect girl in high school, i thought it'd be kinda funny to give her a comical flaw like being an absolutely terrible driver. lol Poor Hinata...Ah well, she'll learn to live and deal with it, I still need her alive and well if I wanna continue my story, which will inevitably include some more humorous misadventures for our humble little heiress and her harem, along with loads of fluff of various types and proportions, and of course, some dating drama.**

**So stay tuned, and as always, review, review, REVIEW!!**


	5. Drowning on Dry Land

**Hey, I'm finally back to updating this story after so long! Yay right? Sorry I've been gone so long, I know it's been a while and I honestly didn't intend to be out 'til now, but I got caught up this summer and most of the fall with holidays, family life, updating some of my other, more popular stories, and a whole lot of other things.**

**So sorry once again Please forgive me and enjoy this chapter!**

**P.S. **

**Guys in harem: Gaara, Sasori, Sasuke, Naruto, Itachi, Hidan, Deidara, Sai, and Kiba**

**(may include even more later on…)**

**Just to clarify the ages, though the topic hasn't exactly been brought up yet…They're as follows:**

**Hinata- 22**

**Hanabi-14**

**Naruto- 23 **

**Neji-24**

**Sakura-23**

**Ino-23**

**TenTen-24**

**Temari-25**

**Kankuro-24**

**Lee-24**

**Sasuke-23**

**Deidara-26**

**Hidan-26**

**Sasori-26**

**Gaara-23**

**Itachi-26**

**Kiba-23**

**Sai (I know he hasn't appeared yet, but he will later on as I've decided to make him a part of the harem) - 24**

**Also, some more characters not included in the harem may drop by later on, so if your favorite(s) hasn't been listed above, you might still see them after all. So just hang tight, okay? **

Chapter Five:

_Drowning on Dry Land_

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**H**inata woke up coughing violently. She tried sitting up, and felt a warm hand on her back as she did so, patting it gently and coaxing her to cough the rest of the water from her lungs. She heard multiple gasps and whispers along with a few familiar voices.

"Oh my God… Hinata, are you okay?!"

'_T-That voice…it sounds like Sakura's…_' she thought, blinking, since her vision was still a bit blurry.

"Hey, people, show's over! Move it along! She's fine, so there's nothing to see here!" someone yelled. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of long, light blonde hair and a blue and white checkered bikini.

'_A-And Ino's here too…w-what exactly happened anyway?' _she wondered to herself.

"Yeah, give the girl a little bit of breathing room, will ya?" came a young girly voice.

'_That's Hanabi!'_

She sat up and continued to cough, suddenly realizing that she was in the middle of the beach, sitting on a beach blanket in somebody's lap, with a crowd of spectators staring at her. Hinata looked up and stared right into the usually blank face of her older cousin. "Ngh…Ne-Neji-niisama…?" she asked weakly, her throat feeling raw and her voice quiet and raspy.

"Yes, Hinata, I'm here," he said softly. "And I'm…so glad you're alright." he breathed out, looking sincerely relieved, concern shining brightly in his normally cold, pale silver eyes.

Hinata offered up a feeble smile, slowly lifting up her palm to place it on the older Hyuga's cheek, hoping to reassure him, if only a little bit.

Suddenly, she felt another pair of smaller, thinner arms circling her neck, and someone's head resting against her own."Neechan!" Her sister cried into her hair, "Oh, we were all so worried about you! Please don't ever do anything to scare us like that again!"

"Hinata, what were you thinking? You scared me so much!" She looked up into the face of a woman a little older than her with tanned skin and warm brown eyes.

"T-TenTen," she gasped, "you…you're alright!" She smiled happily at the weapon-loving tomboy.

"Of course I am." TenTen chuckled in return, "You think a little wipeout like that could keep me down for long?" She got down on her knees and leaned over to gently stroke Hinata's silky indigo hair in an affectionate motherly way. "You should be more worried about yourself…when I came back up, they said you'd been pulled underwater, and I got so worried, I thought I'd have a stroke for sure."

"I'm sorry…for worrying you…" Hinata mumbled quietly, not sure what else to say. She felt so pathetic, always making everyone worry or getting in the way.

"Hey, Hinata, I'm glad you're alright, but don't do anything like that again," She perked up slightly not only at the sound of her own name, but the voice that was saying it. "You could've drowned out there, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you…or any of my other friends."

Hinata looked over to see Naruto sitting nearby in the sand and turning away from her, his face looking strained as if he were attempting to keep tears from coming out of his ocean blue eyes.

Instantly another fresh wave of guilt washed over her and she felt like the worst person in the world. She lowered her head in shame, dark hair falling to curtain her eyes from view as a sad frown worked its way across her lips. '_It's…a strange sensation to be back on dry land, surrounded by so many people who care so deeply for me, and yet, somehow… to still feel like I'm drowning.'_

Just then the sunshine seemed to disappear, and Hinata looked up slowly to see what was happening. There, towering above her, were five very familiar men—two redheads, a blonde, a man with slicked back silver hair, and a brunette.

They were all wearing trunks, exposing their toned upper bodies for the world to see, and causing Hinata to immediately turn away in embarrassment. Though it seemed she wasn't the only one to have noticed their presence, as Neji drew her a little closer, and everyone else who had been hovering around stepped back to make a way.

Neji watched them warily, waiting for them to dare move any closer, like a snake hiding in tall grass and waiting for the right time to strike.

"Hey, girl, what the fuck is wrong with you? Were you trying to fucking drown? Getting in the damn water when you know you can't swim worth shit." Hinata looked up timidly to see the silver-haired stud sneering down at her.

She quickly averted her gaze with a full on blush. Embarrassment tenfold.

But before she could answer, a pair of strong arms tightened almost uncomfortably around her waist and she could feel a low, feral growl that vibrated against her back. Half turning, she saw her cousin glaring the scariest glare she'd seen in a while, murderous intent flashing in his pale eyes.

"Don't ever speak to my cousin that way again. In fact you should consider yourself lucky even to be graced by her presence. Filthy trash like you is far beneath one as superior as Lady Hinata-sama, you scum." Hinata flinched at the harsh tone of her cousin's voice.

He could've made a hardened criminal's blood run cold if he wanted to. She'd always known Neji was overprotective, but never before had she seen him with such a chilling look in his eyes. It scared her, and she wasn't quite sure how to calm him down. Whenever she tried to assure him not to worry about her, it only seemed to make him even more uptight.

Hidan, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by Neji's implied threats or aggressive body language in the least. He smirked sardonically and tilted his head to the side as if to say '_Let the games begin_'.

Someone suddenly cleared their throat in an attempt to break apart the dispute before it could escalate. All eyes shifted towards the noise to see Ino standing there with an angry pout and her hands on her hips. "Excuse you, but I think you'd better apologize to Hinata right now." she declared loudly, directing the brunt of her wrath at Hidan.

And still, as Shikamaru gave her a weary look from the corner of his eye, he could tell she was trying hard to hold back. Apparently, she'd decided to let Hidan off easy, probably for Hinata's sake. Something Hidan didn't seem too appreciative of... "You'd better shut your mouth, bitch, cuz I don't have to do shit." he shot back defiantly.

Ino's face instantly went from a pale shade of red to a raging purple. She was absolutely livid, and there was an almost possessed look in her eyes as she lunged at the arrogant Jashinist, only to be caught from behind by a bored looking Shikamaru.

"Ino, calm down already… You're gonna make this into an even bigger spectacle," he mumbled, narrowly craning his head back in time to dodge a wildly swung fist as she snarled and thrashed about, struggling to break free.

"I don't care! Just let me go so I can knock him flat on his face with my 16-hit combo! I won't let that asshole get away with disrespecting women like that!" she ranted angrily.

'_Whoever said hell has no fury like a woman must've been talking about Ino_,' Shikamaru thought, casting his gaze upwards toward the bright blue sky wistfully.

"Come on, let's go find Choji and see if there's still anything to eat in our picnic basket," he stated, not giving her time to respond as he dragged her off still kicking and screaming obscenities to the sky.

Warm hands were placed on both the male Hyuga's broad, muscular shoulders and he turned viciously, still glowering harshly to see calmingly warm brown eyes. "TenTen," he breathed out slowly. She smiled soothingly, and something about the simple gesture seemed to calm him down almost instantly.

He didn't know how she did it, and his swollen pride would never allow him to openly admit it to anybody, especially not the chocolate-eyed, bun-wearing, weapon-loving tomboy herself, but she had always been a sort of sedative for him.

"Relax, Neji," Her soft palms kneaded smooth circles into the tense muscles of his shoulder blades. "You're practically smothering poor Hinata there,"

Neji immediately relaxed at the ministrations, loosening his grip enough for the indigo-haired girl to wriggle her way out of her cousin's lap to freedom. She slowly stood up on wobbly legs, gasping for breath. Turning to see her cousin looking at ease with a mellowed, droopy look on his face, she decided to leave him be and let TenTen work her magic.

As she walked away from the blanket to find something else to do, her friends all having gone back to their own activities by now, she was so focused on her feet as she stumbled on the warm sand she didn't notice what she'd run into until she was already sprawled out on her back.

"Hey, are you alright?" She groaned and sat up, blinking dazedly. Standing before her was a very concerned looking Deidara, bent forward with one hand on his knee for support and the other outstretched toward her.

Grasping on to the offered hand, she allowed the blonde to pull her up, flushing brightly when she ended up with her face implanted on his bare chest.

"What a ditz," she heard someone mumble, and turned to see a sneering Hidan standing there with his arms crossed and a mocking look in his eyes.

"Hinata-chan is not a _ditz_, un! She's just feeling a little dizzy today because of all the stress she's been through." Deidara shot back, drawing the blushing lavender-eyed girl a little closer to him.

"Whatever," he scoffed, turning to walk away. "Say what you want, stupid-ass faggot. I don't care about that dumb bitch." Hinata's face fell and she turned away, disheartened.

For some reason Hidan seemed to loathe her and she didn't know why. It made her feel sad and troublesome, like she was bothering everyone. "Don't call Hinata-chan that, you bastard, or I'll kick your ass!" Deidara looked down at Hinata with a reassuring smile after they watched the sadistic Jashinist walk away.

"Don't worry about him. He's just a self-righteous asshole, un. But…" A mischievous smile lit up the artistic blonde's handsome face, "I think he's pissed off because he doesn't know how to deal with you being here and being a douche is just how he copes. It'll get better soon, un. I promise." He smiled and ruffled her hair a bit and she couldn't help but smile back.

She was walking down the beach by herself, admiring the majestic view of the ocean as waves lapped gently against the shore. She was deep in thought, carefully turning over everything that'd happened in her head.

It'd been an eventful day, and even though the girls had decided to postpone their little all-day shopping trip, she was exhausted. As she approached a steep, rocky hillside overlooking the horizon, the sun began to sink, melding with the beautiful waves of the ocean. '_I bet the view would be stunning from up there,'_ she thought, walking over to the cliffs and cautiously beginning to climb her way up.

She was glad that no one else was around to see…well, more like her friends. They'd all been acting a little overprotective since her traumatic ordeal earlier that day. But the strangest thing was that they seemed more concerned over Hinata's personal safety than she was.

Of course, Hinata was never one to dwell on negatives, so the incident with nearly drowning had been all but put to the back of her mind. She wasn't afraid of water in the slightest; though she had decided she'd definitely be a lot more careful during high tide.

One small step at a time, she inched her way closer to the top of the summit, grabbing onto cracks or sturdy pieces wherever she could find them and using her momentum to pull herself along. 'Almost there,' she chanted, narrowing her eyes in determination as the mossy peak of the hillside came into view.

Peering over the top of the rocks, she could just see a glimpse of the glistening sea on the horizon, and a tall figure who she hadn't noticed before standing near the opposite edge and watching the hypnotizing sight in fascination. '_Oh! Someone's already here…I wonder who it could—_'

A high pitched scream of terror filled the air as the preoccupied girl suddenly lost her footing and struggled to regain her balance. The more she tried to scramble her way up, the more the rocks beneath her feet began to crumble, an d the harder it became to hang on using just her hands, which were now red, raw, and badly scraped.

Her heart lurched painfully in her throat as she felt herself begin to plummet downward, the full force of gravity taking affect. She attempted to scream or hold onto something in a desperate attempt to save herself, but she was so terrified that her voice caught in her throat and the rate of her pulse only increased as her flailing limbs came into contact with air.

She closed her eyes in anticipation for the long drop ahead of her, but instead, she felt a cool, slightly calloused hand wrap firmly around her wrist, as she was suddenly being hauled back up like a limp rag doll being saved from falling from a crib.

She stayed panting on the ground for several more minutes before closing her eyes tightly and taking a few shaky breaths, trying to calm her rickety heartbeat. '_This is the second time today that I've been on the verge of a fatal accident…I'm…so careless…'_

"Tell me, woman…do you perhaps…have a death wish?"

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked up into the void turquoise orbs of her savior, gasping for air, even as her feet touched solid land, and holding her stomach tightly as if her insides were still experiencing the terrible near-fatal free fall. Or maybe it was that intense gaze that sent shockwaves coursing through her body… like he could see right through her…

"G-G-Gaara-san!" she gasped, suddenly terribly embarrassed. Did he really think that she was so deeply troubled to the point of being… suicidal?

"N-No, it's not…I mean…t-t-that is to say, I…um…it's not w-what you t-t-think! I…I was t-trying to c-climb up so I c-c-could have a better view of the sunset and uh…m-my foot a-accidentally s-sl-slipped." she explained, nervously twiddling her fingers and trying to avert her eyes from looking anywhere but directly at his face, though she could already tell that he was still watching her.

For a split second lavender clashed with aquamarine, until lilac orbs were timidly averted again. Pale lips crinkled into a small frown, mouth gaping open and closed like a fish gasping for air as she fidgeted just like she always did whenever she was unsure of what to do or say.

"Am I… really that unbearable?" Widened eyes that shone with surprise and curiosity fixed themselves on the figure hunched over at the edge of the cliff, legs swung out over the side.

"W-What…n-no… I mean—"

"…They say that because of the circumstances of my birth, I developed some kind of rare psychotic condition. So, since childhood others have kept their distance from me and I've been shunned and feared…even by my own family."

Hinata didn't know what to say or do. To her, it just seemed like Gaara was the type of person who preferred to keep to himself, like Sasuke. She would've never imagined that he suffered so much on the inside.

"Treated with caution, handled delicately…like an explosive, a ticking time bomb, ready to go off and detonate everything around it...**That's** how everyone in my village saw me. No one saw how lonely I was, or how desperately I wanted to fit in…I tried so hard, but no matter what I did…I would always be a disgrace to my family and a monster to society."

'_Gaara-san…_' Hinata stood there, mesmerized, her eyes blank and her body stiff and unmoving. A light breeze playfully twirled the strands of her long indigo hair and yet still she remained frozen, both shocked and riveted by the younger Sabaku's tragic childhood tale and the fact that he was actually sharing it with her. _Her,_ of all people!

"Eventually, I stopped trying…and my condition became even worse. I lashed out with violent outburst and spent most of my youth growing up and going in and out of one psychiatric institution to another. All the while…I was fighting…for my sanity." Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she weakly fell to her knees, clutching her fist in the dirt and letting her hair create a curtain of shadows around her insipid face.

"I had no one but myself to rely on, and I thought it would always be that way. Then in high school, I met Naruto, who had also grown up isolated and ostracized. He changed my outlook on things, showed me that it was such emotions like love, loyalty, and compassion towards others that could chase away the demons dwelling in our hearts. I was grateful, and I vowed that from that point on, I would become someone other than the terrible monster everyone always thought me to be. "

She found herself moving, as if compelled by an other-worldly force that was beyond her control, closer towards the redheaded renegade often referred to as a '_monster',_ until she was standing directly at his side.

Hinata wondered how such harsh words could possibly ever be used to describe one as selfless as a man who would go out of his way to save another's life. Despite the Sabaku's solemn demeanor and daunting appearance, it just didn't seem to add up.

"Thank you…for sharing all that with me. And I…I…hope that…you'll allow me to discover more of the true you, Gaara-san. Because I believe, you are someone worth getting to know properly, despite what others may think of you."

A kind smile was all it took to melt away the suspicious edge glazing over his eyes. She squeaked quietly as she was tugged down, almost landing in the lap of the redhead in the process. Her breath hitched in her throat for perhaps the umpteenth time that day and their faces were so close his warm breath cascading across her flushed cheeks sent a jolt of emotions so strong running through her that she began to feel woozy and lightheaded.

There was no where to look but directly into his eyes, and as she did Hinata once again felt the distinctly uncomfortable sensation of being completely translucent. "Do you…really believe me to be someone who is worthy of your time and trust…or do you…secretly fear me as all the others have before you?"

For the longest time, turquoise bore into shining crystal pools of liquid lavender. In the depths of those icy cold eyes, so foreboding and guarded to the rest of the world, Hinata was sure she saw something…almost pitifully vulnerable too. "…I…I want to help you Gaara-san. Please let me be there…to cleanse you of the all the lingering sorrows that still remain…" she whispered.

Unexpectedly, he turned away, seemingly unable to cope with the feeling of an outsider intruding so far within his soul.

"Why save someone as cruel and demonic as me…when…I watched you drowning…without even attempting to help? The Uchiha…Sasuke was the one who pulled you up and pumped the water from your lungs. He was the one who breathed air into your cold, lifeless blue lips…I…stood by and did nothing…I don't deserve to be healed."

So that meant… Her eyes fell on a lone figure far below them, a little further down the beach standing with his hands stuffed deep inside his swim short pockets and staring intently out at the ocean. '_S-So…I-It was Sasuke-san who saved me?! B-But…I…I thought h-he hated m-m-me!_' She wailed mentally.

The thought of someone who supposedly couldn't stand her actually rescuing her from drowning was a very confusing thought to Hinata. It made her headache throb even more violently, and without noticing she rubbed her temples with trembling fingers, groaning softly in pain.

Nonetheless, she gently placed a comforting hand on his forearm, causing the muscles to tense up instinctively. "We all…drown in the shadows of our hearts at some point…but it's the strength to break through to the surface… that makes us able to shine like the lighthouse that guides the ships still lost out in the storm safely to shore."

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**How was it? It took a turn in a completely different direction than expected, and I decided to add some last minute GaaxHina fluff at the end for all you waiting fans. Hope you enjoyed it. Please be kind and review, ok?**


	6. It's All Relative

**I felt bad for not updating this fic for so long, so I decided to make it up to you…There'll be a lot of new characters introduced to the story for the first time, and even more fluffy moments and drama, so it's sure to be fun. **

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it, and as always I'd be very grateful for reviews. Thanks!**

**Oh, and this chapter is especially dedicated to Demoness-MarlstonWells69er, who's slightly scary eagerness helped light the fire underneath my feet, so to speak, and also to all the other people who reviewed and supported me even after I'd been away from this fic for so long. I couldn't have found the will to continue without your support, so thanks for everything!**

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Chapter Six:

_It's All Relative_

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**H**er arms moved in fluid circles as she wiped down the wooden surface of the dusty furniture. From the amount of dust that collected on the rag when she paused to check, she concluded that the long forgotten nooks and crannies of the expansive apartment had been neglected and in desperate need of a cleaning for some time.

So today, she was at home, doing just that. She figured with nine guys living together, there were bound to be places that needed cleaning around the house. And boy, she couldn't have possibly been more right... It was as one would expect from a house of nine total bachelors, something she hadn't noticed in all the excitement of moving in. Sure it was still gorgeous, but that didn't stop there from being a long list of household chores to be done.

All morning she'd been busy doing loads of laundry, sweeping floors, dusting furniture, vacuuming carpets, polishing marble countertops and washing filthy dishes, and now, at nearly one in the afternoon, she was exhausted.

She got up from her knees and sat on the arm of the leather couch in the center of the living room in front of the big flat screen TV, proudly admiring her handiwork. Her father always said that she wasn't good for much, something she had never really bothered to deny, but anyone could walk into the house and see that the place was now virtually spotless.

Everything shined with renewed luster, as if a professional cleaning crew had laboriously worked all day instead of a single person. Hinata wasn't sure why, but she liked to clean, and it seemed to be something she was good at. Besides, it occupied her time and kept her busy while she waited for everyone to return.

She still hadn't found a decent job anywhere nearby and Neji had forbid her from going back to her father's company in the city until the whole issue was resolved, so she spent most of her time at home, alone on the weekdays.

Almost everyone was gone with the exception of herself and Sasuke. She hadn't seen the younger Uchiha since breakfast earlier that morning, however, as he'd been locked up in his room doing who knows what. He still wasn't really talking to her much, though he seemed to have become a little more at ease around her since the whole thing on the beach almost two weeks ago, actually calling her by her name every once in a while instead of 'Hyuga' or 'girl' and even helping her reach the higher shelves in the kitchen whenever she needed something to cook with. It may not have been much, but Hinata felt like it was a start, and was feeling proud and optimistic nonetheless.

Just then, the doorbell rang, startling her from her semi-relaxing reverie. She quickly jumped up, brushing her hands off on her faded old jeans and scrambling to the door."I-I'll get it!" she called out instinctively, flushing brightly when she realized that there was no one else around to hear her except maybe Sasuke, and she doubted that he'd heard from all the way down the hall and around the corner, or cared for that matter.

She unlocked the door and slowly peeked through the small opening. Two men she didn't recognize were standing out in the hallway.

The first, a tall brunette with his dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail dressed in a smooth black tuxedo with an oddly familiar emblem sewn over the breast pocket and a navy tie stood calmly with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his fancy dress slacks. He was extremely handsome and exuded a comfortable, laid-back charm, but didn't lack the professional quality his fine-tailored business suit portrayed.

The other man, who was a bit shorter and had spiky ebony hair, was also dressed in a suit and tie, though not nearly as neatly as his companion, with only two of the shiny silver buttons on the suit done up and his deep, crimson red tie hanging loose and crooked around his neck. He held an impatient, exuberant aura about him that the Hyuga heiress found just as appealing as his strikingly good looks.

His foot tapped impatiently inside the shiny black shoes on his feet, and when he saw Hinata peering out from behind the slightly opened door, his face broke out in a full ear to ear grin.

"Hi there!" he greeted, smiling like a maniac.

The older-looking, taller brunette seemed to notice her uncomfortable expression and slightly nudged his companion in the ribs, gesturing for him to tone it down.

"Uh…um…h-hello…" she replied uncertainly.

"We're here to visit Sasuke and Itachi-san. Are they home by chance?" asked the calmer of the two.

"Uh…w-well…S-Sasuke-san is b-but Itachi-san went out s-s-some t-time ago. I…I'm not sure when he'll be back," she whispered.

"Well, would it be ok if we visited with Sasuke-chan for a while then? It's been a while since I've seen him and I just_ know_ he adores me!" the wild-haired man exclaimed.

"Oh…" Hinata sweatdropped, baffled by this strange man and his odd statements. "O-Of course, c-come in and I'll get him for you,"

The taller one cleared his throat, as she moved aside to let them in before closing the door again. "Thank you…" he trailed off expectantly.

"Hinata, Hyuga Hinata," she supplied, looking down at her folded hands and twiddling her fingers nervously.

"Ah, so you're the girl I heard Fugaku-sama talking to Itachi-san about! It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Uchiha Obito, and this is my older brother, Uchiha Shisui. We work at the Uchiha family's main office with Itachi-san," he introduced, quickly grabbing her hand in his and shaking it eagerly.

**(A/N: Hehe…betcha didn't see that comin' right? Anyway, I decided to make Obito and Shisui brothers in this story, and even though I think Obito is actually a few years older, Shisui will be the older and more mature one—though not by much…-_-')**

She couldn't help but gape slightly at this news and almost felt like slapping herself in the forehead. Of course they were from the Uchiha family as well. That would explain the good looks, business suits and desire to see the two Uchiha brothers with whom she was familiar.

"I-It's a pleasure…to meet you as well." she mumbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious and shy. As soon as the grip on her hand was released, it was seized in another. Hinata blushed brightly as warm lips connected with the soft skin of her knuckles, quickly glancing at the man's handsome face to see him wearing a charming smirk before swiftly averting her gaze again.

"The pleasure…is all mine," he said huskily, tilting his dark eyes upward to look into her innocent, light lavender ones.

Flashing rainbow-colored spots swam into the edges of her vision, and her mind was a clouded fog of shock, befuddlement, and embarrassment.

But before she could respond, a familiar agitated voice suddenly caught through her thoughts, "What the hell are you two doing here?"

He'd heard all the commotion and come out of his room to see what was going on, half expecting to find that Hinata had done something clumsy, like getting herself stuck in the space between the fridge and the cabinets...again. He would've much rather dealt with _that_ than the sight before him...

Three pairs of curious eyes turned to gaze at the ebony-haired young man leaning idly in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and a dark scowl on his pale face."Sasuke-chan!" Obito shouted, running over to the younger raven-haired man and slinging an arm around his shoulders in a fond embrace, much to the stoic young Uchiha's displeasure. "I can't believe it's been so long! I haven't seen you since your college graduation. How've you been? You look well, and you've grown so much!"

"On the contrary… it hasn't been nearly long enough," he muttered darkly, shrugging out of the embrace and callously brushing off his shoulder.

"Hn…you're just as big a spoiled, stuck-up brat as ever…"

"And you're just as much a lewd, smooth-talking pervert." he shot back, shooting his older cousin an icy glare. "I'm surprised you haven't been arrested for pedophilia yet."

Shisui grinned in amusement, "It's nice to see you haven't lost any of your dry humor or obnoxious charm, either. I don't think you'd really be our little Sasuke-_chan _without it," he said, chuckling.

Sasuke fumed at the dreaded suffix, knowing his older cousin was simply mocking him. It was nothing new, and though he told himself Shisui was too trivial to be considered a nuisance, it still got under his skin all the same.

"I was never your little anything, Shisui, so stop calling me by that godforsaken nickname and just tell me what the hell you want so you can leave already. I'm not in the mood to deal with your sick little mind games." he growled impatiently.

"Tsk tsk, Sasuke-chan, you think so little of us." Obito sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Isn't it possible we could've come just to visit our dear younger cousin?" he asked innocently, his eyes growing surprisingly wide and sincere looking.

Sasuke's face turned from menacing to unreadable and he paused as if considering the possibility. "No." he deadpanned, "you never have before. What reason would you have to come visit me now?"

A wide, cheeky grin spread across the spiky-haired Uchiha's face, and before his brother had a chance to stop him, he blurted out, "Okay, so, we heard that the Hyuga heiress was staying here and we wanted to come and introduce ourselves. You know, in case we can, um…provide her with any sort of assistance."

Shisui took one glance at both Sasuke and Hinata's faces after Obito's outburst and began pondering if it was too late to trade him in exchange for the chance to live the rest of his life without the unnecessary burden of having a loud-mouthed moron for a brother.

Hinata was blushing rather visibly, while Sasuke simply glared daggers at the duo, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Obito…why are you such a baka?" Shisui mumbled, shaking his head.

"…Father sent you here to spy, didn't he?" he demanded, his tone leaking with acidity.

"Heh," Obito gave a coy grin, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Now why would you think that…?"

Shisui nodded curtly as if in agreement before starting, "Sasuke, you know your father only wants what's best for you, and he—"

"That's bullshit! He wants what's best for the company." he hissed, his eyes narrowing with malice. Hinata shrunk back out of fear, never before having seen Sasuke look so angry. "He doesn't give a damn about me. Itachi's the only one that's ever mattered in his eyes. I've always been the stupid, screw-up of a son that ruined his family's reputation by getting into trouble in high school, even though I still managed to graduate top of my class in college,"

The cousins shared a wary glance after Sasuke's outburst, not really sure how to respond. It was true that tensions between Sasuke and his father had been running particularly high in the last few years, inevitably putting a strain on Itachi's relationship with him as well, since he could see where his younger brother was coming from and had grown up witnessing the harsh and often bias way he treated Sasuke.

Tentatively, the timid heiress stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could feel his muscles tense up underneath her gentle touch and he whirled around, glaring fiercely, only to see it was the quiet Hyuga who had startled him.

Onyx locked on to lavender and they seemed to get lost in the depths of each other's eyes, forgetting the world around them and everyone in it. Finally, it was Sasuke, surprisingly, who broke away first, unable to take the soft innocence and openness displayed in her eyes any longer.

Hinata blinked, tilting her head to the side in confusion and frowning worriedly, not noticing the light pink that now tinted the Uchiha's cheeks.

Meanwhile, the two older Uchiha said nothing, arching their eyebrows and glancing at each other as if to confirm what they had just seen. Two knowing, mischievous smiles lit up their faces as they shared a secret nod.

In truth, they had honestly only come to visit with their cousins and maybe pester Sasuke a little bit, while checking out this mysterious girl who had Fugaku-sama so fired up and edgy, but this was beyond what they'd expected.

"Well, Sasuke-_chan_, we were going to stick around until Itachi-san came back, but I've just remembered there's something else we need to attend to. So I'm afraid we'll have to cut this visit a little short," Shisui told him, making sure to emphasize the suffix just to annoy his younger cousin.

"Yeah, but don't worry, we'll be back soon," Obito added, ruffling the moody Uchiha's hair, causing him to glare menacingly. "Take care of yourself 'til then, Sasuke-_chan_," Sasuke swiped the offending hand away with a snarl and Obito hopped after his brother towards the door, grinning cheerfully.

Before they reached the door however, the elder of the two paused, as if he suddenly remembered something, and, strolling back toward his irritated younger cousin and the shy heiress, he leaned over to kiss her cheek softly, causing her face to ignite in a deep shade of fire engine red.

"Bye, Hinata-chan, it was nice meeting you." he whispered lowly in her ear. He chuckled at her flustered face, straightening up to see his little cousin, fuming and shooting him the most spine-tingling death glare he had seen in a while.

"Heh heh…" he chuckled nervously, backing away a few steps. "Oh yeah, I meant to congratulate you, Sasuke." He started, a small smirk replacing his apprehensive look.

"For what?" the Uchiha snapped back, unconsciously moving in front of Hinata as if to shield her from his clingy cousins.

"You finally managed to find yourself a respectable girl from a good family who'll put up with your little mood swings. Not to mention, she's a knock-out. I was beginning to wonder if you were…you know, playing for the other team…" he replied casually, causing Sasuke's blood to heat up in anger and…embarrassment?

While Hinata's face lit up like a Christmas tree light again and, not having fully recovered from the unexpected kiss yet, she grabbed onto Sasuke's arm for support, leaning into his muscular back.

"Get. Out. _Now_!" Sasuke seethed, and his cousins took the opportunity to make their escape, casting a quick glance back in the other direction.

"See ya soon, Sasuke-chan! Bye Hinata-chan!" Obito called, winking and blowing a kiss to Hinata. She waved shyly at the spiky-haired Uchiha, embarrassed at all the extra attention she was suddenly getting.

"Take care of your little blossom, Sasuke. Who knows? Someone might come along to steal her away from right under your nose…" Shisui smirked, an unreadable glint in his dark eyes. And with that, they were gone, and Hinata and Sasuke were left standing there in awkward silence.

Realizing that she was still clutching onto his arm as if her life depended on it, Hinata suddenly broke away, pushing against him as she stumbled back, clearly embarrassment. Sasuke, noticing this sudden movement, turned around, and was easily able to catch her before she fell backward, drawing her up against him once more.

She looked up into his eyes as he looked down into her own, his blank expression and dark, clouded eyes making her more nervous than usual. Then, without warning, he threw her back against the couch behind them, before moving on top of her and pinning her arms above her head with one hand as he pressed his body into hers. "S-Sasuke-s-san?" she gasped, the fear and panic she'd felt when he'd first done this to her returning with full force.

"S-Sasuke…p-please…s-sto—" she didn't get the chance to finish as his lips suddenly came crashing down onto her own in a ferocious and heated kiss. She gasped as his teeth nipped and raked her bottom lip, allowing him to slide his tongue into her mouth as he continued to ravage it, exploring every corner with his tongue, tasting every bit of her intoxicating flavor.

Hinata, completely caught off guard, remained unable to respond as he continued to have his way with her, barely suppressing a moan as he suddenly caught hold of her tongue and began to suck lightly. These feelings were all so foreign to her, having never done anything like this before.

Of course she'd always imagined her first real kiss would be with her knight in shining armor…the man of her dreams…Naruto Uzumaki.

She never counted on having it stolen by his best friend instead.

She also never counted on having her body betray her, as she vaguely noticed herself began to arch up against him, pressing the heat of her own body closer to his, her head lolling back into the squishy couch at the same time as he dived down to attack her neck now. But unlike the first time he'd done this, she didn't try to struggle, instead, savoring the feeling of his warm lips and sharp teeth nibbling and raking her throat as he growled possessively, like an animal claiming her as his own.

He began to move down lower encouraged by the way she mewled and shuddered beneath him, unbuttoning the first few buttons of her shirt until the edge of her bra was exposed, causing him to lick his lips lustfully. But just as he moved in to attack her milky skin again, her eyes snapped wide open, and she suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing…how wrong this was…

His hands having left her wrists as their heated kiss continued, she was now able to push him away with all her might, the surprise of her suddenly attempting to stop him again causing him to fall of the couch, landing on his ass, both palms pressed against the floor.

Annoyed at suddenly being shoved away, he glared at the indigo-haired girl still on the couch, raking a hand through his dark locks in frustration. "The hell was that f—" he stopped suddenly as he noticed her flushed cheeks and the crystal liquid welling up in her eyes.

"S-Sasuke…we…we s-shouldn't be doing this…I…I'm sorry I let it get carried away…I…I j-just," she buried her face in her hands and began sobbing uncontrollably. "…G-gomen-n-nasai…" she whispered, and for some reason, the usually cold Uchiha felt a pang of something akin to what most would call guilt deep inside his chest.

Turning his head away from her, he tried to think of something he could say or do that would calm her down, or at least make her stop crying. He hated it when females cried, for many reasons, most of them having to do with the fact that they were even louder when they cried and it was just downright annoying. However, when it came to Hinata, he had a feeling it was for a different reason…

Slowly, he reached a hand toward her shaking shoulder, calling her name quietly. "Hinata…" at first, she said nothing, only continued to cry. "Hinata…" he tried again, a little louder this time. "Hinata…Hinata…Hinata…Hey, just shut up and listen to me for a minute, goddamnit!" he finally yelled, causing her to jump and successfully drawing her attention.

He breathed a sigh of relief as she sniffled, trembling as she watched him close his eyes and prepare to speak. Okay, so even when he was trying to be nice, he was still an Uchiha, of course having spontaneous sympathy would come with some repercussions… "Look, I just wanted to say that…what happened just now…I…I was being…" Sasuke huffed in frustration as he tried to form the right words, running a hand through his hair yet again. Damn it! Who knew giving a simple apology could be so freakin' hard!

"I guess I just got…kind of…annoyed seeing that asshole all over you like that…and…I let them push my buttons…" he gritted out, struggling with every word. She watched him silently, her now bruised lips parted in awe as she decided the Uchiha must be trying to open up to her. "So anyway…I'm s-sorry I let it get out of hand like that. I won't invade your personal space like that again."

'_Or at least…I'll _**try**_ not to_.' He thought, unconsciously licking his lips. After all, the Hyuga heiress sitting before him was very, _very_ alluring when she wanted to be, even if she didn't realize it. And he knew he wasn't the only guy affected by her shy, innocent nature and charm. But so far he was sure he was the first to ever get so close to her on such an intimate level, a feat he was very proud of himself for.

She studied his flushed cheeks and smoldering eyes as he continued to avoid making eye contact with her, before crouching down to be with his level, since he was still sitting back on the floor. "Ano…S-Sasuke-san…arigato…y-you didn't have to apologize like that…and also, it was partially m-my fault as well. S-So," she shyly wrapped her small arms around his neck, and he turned with wide eyes of astonishment as he felt her body heat penetrating his clothes, causing him shudder and gulp slightly.

'_What is she doing? I thought she didn't want me to…unless she changed her mind.' _He wrapped one arm around her waist, using the other to hold himself up. Carefully, she pressed her body into his until she was practically sitting in his lap, before her warm lips met his cheek in a sweet, innocent kiss and she pulled away, blushing brightly.

"I…I hope we c-can be friends from now on…S-Sasuke-san…" she whispered shyly. Sasuke felt his heart stop, then, skip a beat as her angelic voice spoke those purely innocent words. So she just wanted to be friends, eh? Of course, he should've known Hinata wasn't that type of girl. But that didn't mean '_friends_' couldn't eventually get closer…right?

"Sure…Hinata-_chan_…I think we can become _very_ good friends…" he purred huskily in her ear before standing up and sauntering off to his room. Hinata shakily stood as well, missing the sly smirk he shot her from over his shoulder.

She placed a trembling hand to her chest as if to still her frantically racing heart. '_S-Sasuke-kun…w-what are you d-doing to me…?'_

**Phew! Finally finished! I hope it was at least ok. I tried really hard not to rush through it like I did the last chapter. Bet you didn't expect that little 'guest appearance' did you? What do you think, should Shisui and Obito become part of the harem, or should I leave it the way it is?**


	7. How I Disappear

**Wow, ever since the last chapter, this story has been gaining a lot more popularity than I expected! I'm so happy everyone enjoyed the fluffiness. I didn't really intend to write it that way at first, but as it turned out, it just seemed to flow the best. **

**And yes this chapter's title is from 'My Chemical Romance', a slightly angsty alternative rock band for those of you who didn't know. But other than that it has nothing to do with the song...well, maybe a little.**

**Warning: THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES HEAVY ANGST AT THE END AND THE DEATH OF A NAMELESS OC CHARACTER!**

**p.s. I forgot to mention it before, but the house they live in is designed more or less like a really fancy hotel. You know, like those Hollywood condos? So there are like eight floors, but everyone lives on the third floor, and sometimes they rent the other floors out to other people, okay?**

Chapter Seven:

_How I Disappear..._

* * *

A few days after the unexpected visit from Sasuke and Itachi's relatives, things had once again simmered down around the house for the young Uchiha and timid heiress.

Aside from the whole 'Sasuke going into a random fit of jealousy and suddenly kissing her' incident of course, which had left behind quite a bit of awkwardness in its wake.

There were always signs that something was going on between them, even though they tried to pretend everything was the same as usual, and these coded gestures were not lost on the other members of the penthouse.

Indeed, there was something different about the way the two behaved around each other…the quick glimpses they stole when they thought no one else was looking, the way Hinata's blushing seemed to intensify and her fidgeting worsened whenever the young Uchiha was near, the barely visible tint of pink that could be seen marring Sasuke's face from time to time, (though he thought no one had noticed this).

All these things combined seemed to spell out the unspoken message that hung constantly over their heads— the words neither dared to speak. It was the unscripted message of two individuals bound and locked together by a secret moment of intimacy.

But it became the most apparent on one quiet afternoon in particular, when everyone was gathered together, watching TV and playing poker.

Well, it wasn't exactly all peaceful…Sasuke, Kiba, Naruto, and Hidan who had all been playing cards, were currently fighting about something or another having to do with the game, while Sasori and Deidara had switched all the usual passion they used to argue about art to the current fashion show they were watching, the blond occasionally getting up and yelling into a rolled up magazine he'd been using like a megaphone.

Itachi was sitting there quietly and observing the events going on around him, while Hidan scowled and swore loudly every time he didn't like the way the game was going. Gaara's older brother Kankuro had also stopped by for a surprise visit, saying something about Temari being scarier than usual and needing someplace to take cover for awhile.

Therefore, he was engaged in a mostly one-sided conversation with his stoic younger brother, who sat there staring blankly at him as if he were among the biggest idiots on earth while he rambled on about everything from recent blind dates he'd had with some rather…strange women, to Temari getting angry at him when he said that the toast she'd fixed him for breakfast was burnt on one side and throwing the toaster, plug and all, at him just that morning.

Hinata couldn't help but smile contentedly to herself as she heard the lively chatter from where she stood in the kitchen, preparing everyone's snack. When the riceballs she'd been making were finally ready, she placed them on a large platter and then put it on a tray to take out to them, still smiling as she went.

Quietly padding into the room, she carefully stepped around the cushions that had been placed on the floor from before when they had been playing video games, placing the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch Deidara and Sasori were sitting on.

Upon noticing her presence, everyone seemed to get just a little bit quieter, and Hinata blushed warmly, straightening to attention when she felt the multiple pairs of eyes on her.

"A-Ano…I thought everyone might be hungry…s-so…I made…riceballs, i-if anyone wants some t-that is," she managed to get out, averting her eyes by looking at the floor as if she'd discovered the most incredible thing in the world lying at her feet.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan! That was really nice of you!" Naruto grinned before quickly grabbing a rice ball from the plate and stuffing it all into his mouth. Sasuke scrunched his face in disgust, turning away from the messy blond, only to lock eyes with the nervous Hyuga.

They seemed caught in each other's gazes for what seemed like an eternity, until Hinata suddenly turned away, blushing a violent scarlet color and bowing. "E-Eto…I…I j-j-just thought of something else…I…was supposed to d-do…gomen, everyone…p-please e-enjoy the riceballs a-and let m-me know if you need anything else," she squeaked before darting from the room at lightning speed.

Sasuke blinked once, noting her awkward behavior before taking a rice ball from the tray and beginning to chew it silently.

"…Hey, what was all that about, un?" Deidara blinked, casting the younger Uchiha a quizzical look before staring at the direction the flustered heiress had fled in.

"I dunno... She usually only gets that flustered whenever she's around Naruto." Kiba stated thoughtfully, as he scratched the head of the giant Akamaru, who was lying comfortably beside him.

Said blond, who had paused to take a bite from one of the fresh riceballs, looked up at the sound of his name, eyebrows scrunched in confusion as he turned towards the dog-lover. "…Eh? What's fwat supwosed ta mwean?" he mumbled through a mouthful of rice.

The room was filled with a multitude of sighs and groans, as everyone around either smacked their foreheads and rolled their eyes, or shook their heads at the blonde's usual cluelessness. Sasuke, however, whacked him between the eyes with Deidara's makeshift megaphone, causing him to whine out in protest.

"Owww! HEY! Teme, whadja hit me for?" the whiskered-blond complained, glaring as he rubbed the now bruised spot on his forehead.

The Uchiha simply turned away, scoffing as he picked up another card without so much as looking at the pouting blond, "Tch… don't talk with your mouth full, you idiot."

Naruto's pouting face quickly turned back in to a glaring one, and before long, the two old rivals were engaged in yet another heated argument. No one seemed to remember the events of only a few moments earlier or Hinata's odd behavior.

No one except a certain elder Uchiha that is. As soon as he saw the others had returned to their own activities, he quickly seized the opportunity and smoothly slid from his seat, only Deidara seeming to notice as he called after him, "Hey Itachi, where are you going, un?"

"I have something to attend to." he replied coolly, walking out before the blond could question him further.

-XOXO-

Poor Hinata's mind was constantly in a state of turmoil with feelings of guilt, confusion, self-loathing, and strangely enough…pleasure? She was sitting in the middle of her bed, legs crossed, with a feathery soft pillow clutched tightly to her chest and her face burning after what had transpired a few short moments before.

After all she had admired and liked Naruto ever since middle school, deciding from that point on that he was the only one she could picture herself with.

He was cute, funny, sweet, loyal, and had an incredibly warm, outgoing, and all around lovable nature. He was the source of strength she knew she could always rely on when everything else in her life was going absolutely wrong. The single speck of light that could fill her dark skies with radiance even in the worst of times.

But somehow, she had ended up kissing his best friend. Her first _ever_ kiss— the kiss she vowed to save until the day she could give it to the one she cherished most of all, her beloved Naruto-kun.

And while a passionate impromptu make-out session with Sasuke and the events that followed wasn't exactly how she'd imagined spending part of the afternoon, to her half dismay, half horror, it also wasn't as bad as she might have expected either.

Even though it wasn't exactly warm, slow and gentle, Hinata still had to admit—Sasuke was a _very_ skilled kisser, although having been a major playboy in his high school days it did stand to reason.

Regardless of his long-running history of using women to get what he wanted and then dumping them after a few tawdry one-night stands, he definitely had the power to make a woman go weak at the knees. With his possessive nips and growls, and the feel of his smooth warm lips caressing her sensitive skin, leaving her flushed and tingling wherever his mouth happened to wander.

When he had pushed her down onto the couch and locked his lips over hers, their tongues had coincidentally met in a brief moment of reprieve and the thrilling jolt of ecstasy that had skittered throughout her body was almost enough to make her lose consciousness.

She had been able to feel as well as _taste_ his desire, and it scared, but also induced strange new feelings of intense elation within her. She hadn't meant to react to his touches; her body had simply responded on its own accord, almost instinctively.

And now her mind was not only a jumbled mess, but she found herself heating up beyond what was previously thought possible whenever he came into a room, there was a noticeable skip in her heartbeat if he so much as happened to glimpse in her direction, and no matter how much she tried to shut it out, she couldn't deny the sparks that occurred whenever they locked eyes directly, which was why it was something she usually tried to avoid doing in the first place. Before, these particular symptoms had only occurred in sequence with one person—a certain loudmouthed blonde—but now…

She didn't know what to think anymore… Her heart would still flutter whenever she was around Naruto, but nothing like it use to, and nothing like it had been doing these past few days when she was around Sasuke.

She couldn't figure out what was wrong with her; and there was no way she could talk to anyone in her family without them getting worried. Hanabi wasn't exactly known for keeping secrets and Neji would definitely kill the Uchiha in cold blood. She wouldn't even consider what her father might do to him _or_ her; it made her shiver just thinking about it.

She would've called one of her female friends, since they had all decided to stay in touch and exchange numbers after their little beach trip, but she remembered they all had work. She would never consider calling them at their jobs just so she could complain about her own personal problems.

And talking to any of the other guys seemed completely out of the question. Sure, she may have started to open up to Deidara and Gaara, then of course there were Naruto, Kiba, and the others, but how could she possibly explain something like _this_ to them?

She buried her head further into the pillow, whimpering slightly and wondering when her life became so complicated, when the sound of a quiet knock at her door caught her attention. Slowly, her head lifted up, and she blinked once, still curled in the fetal position and staring at the door from over the edge of her pillow."C-Come in…" she called softly.

The door opened, only to reveal none other than Uchiha Itachi standing behind it. "I-Itachi-san!" she gasped in shock, sitting up a little straighter. Hinata's breath instantly hitched in her throat and her heart started pounding at what seemed like an impossible speed.

Thinking about how the past few days had been with Sasuke and then suddenly seeing his older brother standing there at her door was definitely unexpected.

Of course, it wasn't the same thing as seeing Sasuke face to face, and Itachi had been nothing but kind and polite to her since the first day she arrived…but even still, she couldn't help feeling anxious whenever the elder Uchiha came around. He always looked so calm and serious…it was impossible to read him. He was very much like Sasuke in that regard.

"Hinata…I came to see how you were feeling. You didn't look so well a moment ago." His deep voice was like smooth velvet, and the Hyuga found herself fidgeting nervously under his intense gaze.

Everything about him was so…sophisticated and impossibly perfect—the way he spoke, the way he moved, his flawless face, and even his state of being. She couldn't help but feel awed by him.

"O-Oh…! I'm fine—r-really!" she squeaked, shaking her head adamantly. "I'm s-sorry if I caused you a-any trouble…"

"Hn. There's no need to apologize." he replied, his lips twitching in what could _almost_ be called a barely visible half-smile.

They remained in a prolonged silence for several more minutes, Hinata too unnerved to speak and Itachi waiting to see if she would say anything more. Finally, he broke the silence by saying, "…Hinata-san…Sasuke hasn't done anything… to upset you, has he?"

Hinata blanched, the question catching her completely off-guard. Exactly what did he mean by that? Her heart skipped a beat and her face burned a profuse shade of scarlet. Did he know what happened the other day…?

No, that was impossible! She hadn't spoken a word about it to anyone and she was positive Sasuke wouldn't tell, least of all his brother, since the two still didn't exactly see eye to eye most of the time.

Hinata had come to realize over the past few weeks that although they looked similar, the Uchiha brothers were otherwise two very different individuals with their own unique traits.

Where Sasuke could be rash and was prone to periods of sulking, sometimes even displaying a child-like stubbornness, Itachi seemed forever calm, always carefully calculating things before acting.

The Hyuga swallowed, fiddling with her fingers in her trademark way. "O-Of course not!" she shook her head furiously. "W-Why do you ask?" she asked meekly.

He turned away to stare out the window, his dark eyes narrowing a fraction. "I've noticed the tension between you and my brother lately, and I know that Sasuke can be overbearing and impulsive at times. I wanted to make sure he wasn't causing you any trouble." he explained blankly.

The timid Hyuga's pale eyes blinked once before she released a small sigh of relief she wasn't even aware she'd been holding in. So that was all…Well, that did make sense. And it made her feel better in a way to know that Itachi had noticed something was wrong. She gave the older Uchiha a grateful smile, nodding, "Oh, I see…t-thank you for your concern, Itachi-san. B-But…S-Sasuke-san has been more…pleasant lately."

Okay, so maybe that was a tiny bit of a stretch, but…she didn't want Itachi worrying.

He quirked a finely arched eyebrow, before a thin smirk graced his lips. "Is that so?" he chuckled lightly. "That's good to hear." She watched as he turned away, as if to leave, before pausing abruptly, his back facing her.

"…Hinata-san…Feel free to tell me whatever's bothering you whenever it is you feel like talking from now on."

At hearing this, the Hyuga instantly became rigid and her eyes widened. "H-Hai!" she finally answered.

The elder Uchiha gave her one of those trademark Uchiha-smirks from over his shoulder. "You don't always have to be so anxious around me. I don't bite…Hi-na-ta-_chan_."

She blushed profusely at this statement, averting her gaze in embarrassment to stare at her hands which were now placed neatly in her lap as she sat on the edge of her bed.

She suddenly felt guilty for always acting so tense around him, as if he weren't human. But the truth was, his natural intensity always made her feel a little nervous, and she would withdraw into her shell, not really knowing what to do or say, "G-Gomen-n-nasai…I-Itachi-san….I did not mean to act so cold. P-Please…forgive me."

She gasped as she felt someone lifting her chin, and looked right into the deep onyx orbs of the elder Uchiha. '_W-When d-did he…?_'

Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat as he leaned forward, until their faces were only inches apart. "Hn…I don't recall being angry with you." he said, sounding amused.

"A-Ah…" she stuttered; her face heating up until she resembled a bright red cherry. He only smirked, the way all Uchiha seemed to do, one hand barely ghosting over her pale skin to brush some hair away from her eyes.

"Your apprehension is apparent," he stated simply, and she shivered slightly as his fingertips continued to trail lightly down her jaw. "I'll leave you to your thoughts," he stepped back, turning to leave, this time not pausing. She followed him with her eyes, trembling openly as her heart beat wildly with every step he took.

As soon as the door closed, Hinata took in a sharp intake of air, grabbing her forgotten pillow once more to bury her reddened face in shame. Shakily, she placed her other hand to her chest, only to feel the drum of her rapidly beating heart pounding against her ribcage, '_I…I have to get out of this house n-__**now**__!_' she thought frantically. Once she was sure her blush had died down some, she stood up, only to find her legs were wobbly, and staggered toward the door.

She timidly peeked around the corner to make sure no one was around before tiptoeing out into the hall and then making a mad dash for the elevator lobby. She was almost there when a sudden thought struck her and caused her to freeze in her tracks. '_Wait, I can't just leave without saying anything…_' she thought, biting her lower lip and twiddling her fingers, '_b-but…there's no way I could face any of them right now…n-not after what just happened…m-maybe I could write a note telling them I'll be out for a while.' _

In the end she decided this was the best thing to do, and went in search of some paper. Luckily, it wasn't far away. Quickly scribbling a note, she carefully placed it on her room door with a thumb tack and then set off.

After some time, the males of the house had grown bored of their activities, and their thoughts slowly wondered back to a certain shy, fumbling little lily. Realizing she hadn't been seen for at least an hour.

"Hey, what happened to Hinata-chan?" Naruto was the first to ask, scratching the back of his head and glancing around as if the shy Hyuga would magically appear. "Wasn't she just here?"

"Baka! She left like a whole hour ago! Geez…don't you ever pay attention to anything?" Kiba scoffed, Akamaru giving a short bark as if in agreement.

"Oi! I just remembered I designed some more outfits for my new line I wanted Hinata-chan to model for me, un," Deidara exclaimed, jumping up to go get said outfits. Sasori glanced in the direction his partner had gone with a quiet sigh.

He was assigned to mentor the younger artist, but...sometimes the blonde's energy, passion, and lack of self control could be a bit much. Especially since Hinata had become involved.

Ever since the blond artist had bonded with the timid Hyuga, she had become his latest muse. Her natural innocence fascinated him, and she was the inspiration behind many dazzling pieces he created. All featured cute, casual clothes that captured the purity and freshness of spring with Hinata as the centerfold.

Being modest, the Hyuga had protested at first, saying there was no need to go to such lengths on her account, but the fashion designer had insisted, and eventually she'd been obliged to allow him to use her as his live-in model when he was working at home.

The things he created always made the Hyuga look stunning and fashionable while capturing her innocent beauty. And being a top designer for the world-famous Akatsuki Group, a modeling and fashion agency where only the best of the best could work or model, everyone knew that Deidara didn't make clothes for just anyone.

His work had been featured in many acclaimed fashion magazines, and exclusive run-way shows all over the world. Only those he deemed worthy were permitted to wear his clothes.

Sasori blinked in boredom, lazily turning his head to the side and glancing at a certain purple-eyed man who was currently muttering something about "fucking stupid shit-headed pansies" as he reshuffled the deck of cards he was holding.

The redheaded puppet maker and photographer gave a short sigh, running a hand through his messy crimson locks before stating, "Hidan, why don't you go check up on her?"

The Jashinist's head immediately snapped up, a look between disbelief and defiance on his face, "What the fuck? Why the fucking hellshould _I _have to go do it? The little baby's probably just curled up in a ball, scared of her own damn shadow anyway." he scoffed, glaring at nothing in particular.

The artist merely raised an eyebrow, already used to the other male's tough, macho attitude. Hidan was a classic example of what those in the fashion and modeling industry liked to refer to as 'model behavior'.

Not that it meant he was the perfect, sweet angel; it was exactly the opposite. It was a term that usually described a model that was self-centered, overly assertive or just particularly hard to deal with. And Hidan was about as wild, cheeky, and demonic as a model could be.

He was always mouthing off to his superiors, picking fights with other models from the group, or doing something impulsive. If it weren't for his classic bad boy good looks, he wouldn't have lasted over a month.

Hidan was definitely more than a handful, and had been through his fair share of photographers. It gave him a sick sense of pleasure to push people's buttons and watch them crack. As a result it was difficult to find anyone who was willing to work with him, despite the fact that he was from the notorious Akatsuki Group.

But Sasori was an exception to this. He knew exactly about how to deal with Hidan's type, because he had once walked down the very same runways.

As a teenager, after he'd first joined up with the Akatsuki, it had been as a full-time model. He had been known for both his docile looks and his impatience, which usually came before his surprisingly short-temper.

But then when he'd been forced to take an extended vacation due a serious injury at the studio, he had discovered his interest and surprising knack for both wood-sculpting and photography, from which he had taken up his current profession of making mannequins to be used to display the models' clothes, and photographing the new upcoming models in their debut shoots.

He found it was something he enjoyed more than he had modeling, and it suited him just fine to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. And so with all his experience it was only natural he'd be able to rein Hidan under control (somewhat).

"Because I said so," the redhead stated firmly, his sleepy amber eyes boring straight into the stubborn model's, "It's not like you're doing anything besides complaining, anyway. This would be a good opportunity to introduce yourself, since you haven't spoken more than two words to her since she got here."

Hidan's scowl only deepened, and he glared hard at his photographer, as a mental battle of the wills begin. Sasori returned his fierce gaze with a calm one of his own, waiting for the silver-haired bad boy's temper to kick in, as always.

The other members in the living room watched the stare-off in mild interest, most already knowing who would win, and Deidara placing a bet with Kankuro.

Finally, after several long minutes, Hidan looked away with an angry glare, standing with an annoyed growl under his breath. "Fine, I'll go. Are you fucking happy now?" he snapped, stomping out of the room.

He could hear quiet snickers from behind his back and a dramatic groan of agony as a certain face-paint wearing puppet maker was forced to pay up. "Dumbass bitches," he mumbled walking down the hall, not really paying attention to the fact that he had no idea where Hinata's room was since he never bothered to go there before.

In his opinion, girls in general were a nuisance. They were annoying, whiny, emotional, and a whole bunch of other shit he didn't feel like dealing with. Not to say that he didn't have the occasional 'female companion'. He was a guy after all. But he would never consider committing to a serious relationship. There was just no way in hell.

As for the Hyuga heiress...well, he didn't really know her that well. Hell, he'd barely said two words to her since she moved in. But from what he could tell, she was different than other girls he'd met before—shy, modest, innocent, and absolutely clueless about how to act around guys.

It was obvious she hadn't had many close encounters with them before. He wouldn't be surprised if it turned out she'd never even had a boyfriend before. Not that he cared who she dated anyway; he had no interest in her. She was different, but still annoying all the same.

When it'd been just the guys, he had almost always gone without wearing a shirt around the house. It was just more comfortable to him, and it was ok for guys so why not? But ever since she'd moved in the others had decided to keep the unnecessary exposure of skin to a minimum, since the stupid girl was so easily flustered and all. This annoyed him. Why should he have to change his ways just to suit her.

She was so weak, it was fucking pathetic. What was she anyway, a friggin' pansy? Plus, she seemed like the type who'd be fun to mess with. The thought made an evil grin appear on his lips. Hm...thinking of all the ways to make her crack got him excited.

Then a new thought dawned on him—he didn't know where her damned room was. He stopped walking, realizing he had absolutely no idea where he was going to begin with, "Shit..." he cursed, running a hand through his slicked-silver hair.

He glanced around; the hallway he was on now didn't really _look_ familiar. But he decided he'd just try to look around anyway. He started by checking all the rooms on the left side, then, half of the ones on the right before he came to a stop again, feeling more frustrated than ever.

Just then, a loud shout echoed down the hall, "HINATA-CHAAAAN!"

"The hell?" the Jashinist squinted his eyes to see a certain blond fashion designer bolting down the hallway, what looked like a stack of different outfits held over on arm.

A devilish smirk spread across his face as an idea suddenly came to his mind. Just as the blond was running past him, he stuck his foot out, successfully tripping the energetic fashion-designer.

Hidan snickered at the blond, lying face down sprawled out on the carpet, "Hey...what the heck was that, yeah?" he groaned into the carpet.

"Hey Blondie what hell are you doing, parading around like a faggot?"

"Hmph!" he huffed, picking himself up with a scowl and inspecting the outfits to make sure they weren't damaged. "Looking for Hinata-chan, of course. I want her to see the new outfits I made for her, yeah."

"Well, at least I know you're not a total faggot if you like that bitch." The silver-haired model scoffed, rolling his deep violet eyes.

Deidara's blue eyes flashed, and he whirled around on the Jashinist, "Don't call Hinata-chan that; you don't even know her, yeah!" he fired back, glaring at the evil jerk before him. "In fact, what are _you_ doing snooping around, Hidan? Were you trying to do something to Hinata-chan, un?" Deidara accused, his glare hardening.

The cocky model's eyes practically bugged out of his head at this accusation, "What? Hell no! That bitch isn't even my type! I'm just here because that bastard Sasori thinks I need to get to know her. So now I gotta spend my precious time fucking babysitting the brat."

"Then what are you doing here, un?"

"Eh? What the fuck are you talking about? Didn't I just tell you that?"

"Hinata-chan's room is down the end of this hall and to the left." The blonde stated, blinking curiously.

"..."

Deidara continued to stare in confusion at the other man's silence, until a light bulb suddenly came on over his head and a wide cheeky grin slowly spread over his face."Wait, were you _lost_ un?" he teased.

His violet eyes flashed darkly and he gave a threatening snarl, "Shut the fuck up you faggot!"

The blonde's eyes lit up in glee as he continued to chant, "Hidan couldn't find his way out of a paper bag, yeah!"

He lunged for the irritating blond, his hands finding his way to the other's throat and holding fast. Even as he gasped for air and his face turned an abnormal shade of purple due to lack of oxygen, Deidara still held that annoyingly mirthful look in his visible eye.

"I dare you to say that a-fucking –gain."

"O-ok, ok, I'm sorry... yeah!" the blonde wheezed, feeling the hands gradually loosen from around his throat.

He gasped for air, using his one free hand to rub his sore neck and check for any serious injuries. "Whoa, you really need to work on your temper, un!"

"Shut up pixie-boy, and just help me find that damn girl's room so I can get on with my life," the Jashinist demanded crossly, still not happy to be stuck babysitting some useless girl _and_ having to walk around searching with a moron.

"Fine, c'mon. It's this way, un." Deidara started for the direction of Hinata's room, Hidan close on his heels, scowling and grumbling about "annoying girls and dumbass queer blondes".

* * *

Fifteen minutes later found her strolling through a quiet park after using her new phone to call a cab to come pick her up. It was a gift from Ino to help them all stay in touch.

Even though she'd insisted that it was too nice for her to accept at first, she had to admit, it _did_ come and handy, and she was grateful for Ino's kindness.

Hinata sighed to herself as she walked along, enjoying the crisp fall breeze and serene atmosphere. It was now the middle of November, and it was evident by the way the trees had all started to become bare, as the leaves fell more and more with each passing day, that winter was just on the horizon.

Though she had never exactly understood why it was, the fall was fascinating to her. Watching all the changes that took place during this time of year always made her amazed yet somewhat nostalgic. She could forget all about the stressful events that'd been happening lately, and just focus on her walk.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard several voices approaching, and looked up to see a woman pushing a baby stroller and walking beside a young boy of no more than seven or eight with unusual plum purple hair.

They seemed to be enjoying their walk, and Hinata smiled faintly to herself, observing the happy family and remembering a time when her own family was much the same way.

A time when things were good, her father showed her affection (though in his own way), and anything that went wrong could be erased with just a smile and a few soothing words from her mother.

"Hey kaasan, after this let's all go get some udon noodles and takoyaki, okay?" she heard the boy saying.

The woman stopped walking to pause and look down at her son, a confused look briefly passing over her face, "Hmm? But I thought we were going to eat at home tonight. I was going to make curry omelets, remember?" his mother reminded him.

"Aww…c'mon!" the boy groaned, also stopping to cross his arms over his chest, turning his head away as he frowned. "We've had curry omelets for the past _two weeks _in a row! Let's take a break and eat something else for a change."

"But—"

"Besides, the last time you made dinner, you dozed off on the couch and burnt the rice to a crisp! It was a real chore helping you scrape all the burnt pieces out of the pot,"

The woman's face flushed a very noticeable shade of dark pink as she helplessly listened to her son's accusations, "F-Fine!" she replied, shooting him a half-hearted glare. "Take out it is. But don't think you'll get off so easy next time," she mumbled as she began to rummage through her purse.

The boy grinned triumphantly, "Yeah! Thanks kaasan."

But the mother didn't respond, too preoccupied with searching for something in her purse. "Oh, now where did I put my wallet? I hope I didn't leave it in the ladies' room at work again…" she mumbled quietly to herself.

The boy only stood by, giving his mother a blank stare, "…You didn't lose your wallet again did you?" he asked flatly.

"N-No!" she said quickly. "I…I'm sure it's here somewhere. I just seemed to have temporarily _misplaced_ it. There's a difference."

"Uh-huh..." he said, sound unconvinced.

"Oh! Here it is!" she exclaimed, holding it up with a triumphant smile, "Now, let's see how much there is..." she began pulling a few bills from the wallet to count them, when a sudden gust of when blew the money from her hand.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed.

"I'll get it," her son sighed, reaching out to grab the money as it drifted further away. He was so busy snatching at the thin piece of paper, he failed to notice the car zooming down the street, the horn blaring loudly as it rounded the corner.

From afar, Hinata could see the driver seemed to have no intention of slowing down in the least and unless someone intervened the boy would be right in the car's path.

"Gotcha!" the boy exclaimed, jumping into the air to grab the money. "Hehe...I can just taste that takoyaki!" he grinned to himself.

His attention was then drawn to the sound of a loud horn, and he turned just in time to see the car speeding toward him, his eyes wide as he stood paralyzed with fear.

From the sidewalk, his mother gaze a loud cry and sped into action, "NOO!" she screamed, abandoning the stroller she'd been pushing and running into the street after her son.

The Hyuga watched with wide eyes, everything happening as if in slow motion. She saw the mother push her son out of the middle of the road as he collided hard with the street, taking the full impact of the oncoming vehicle instead.

Her face paled and she heard a scream of terror, only to realize it was her own. The car was now a speck in the distance, fleeing after striking the pedestrian, but Hinata remained frozen, unable to tear her eyes away from the horror movie scene before her.

She very slowly placed a hand to her open mouth. She couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed. Her face was a sickly green as she fought back the bitter taste of the snack she had eaten earlier that was rising dangerously high in her throat, her heart thudding wildly to the point where she wasn't sure whether it would stop or not.

Realizing she had to act fast, she willed her feet to move, and was half-surprise when her brain finally connected with her body again and she sprinted forward, slowly edging closer to the horrible scene.

She approached the mother first, and immediately fell to her knees, already feeling the liquid welling up at the corner of her eyes. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, and hoped to never see again. The woman's body was sprawled on the ground grotesquely, her limbs twisted into an unnatural position.

Her face was already completely drained of all color, and her wide eyes were blank and glossy. Sticky crimson liquid was pooled underneath her and splattered across her clothes. Her long, curly brown hair fell all around her, stained with the dark red substance that continued to drain from her body, turning it a disturbing coppery brown color.

Shakily, Hinata drew in a strangled breath, as she slowly reached toward the woman's face, willing it all to be some sort of twisted dream or illusion, even though she knew the truth. The skin was cold and clammy to the touch and her eyes were huge and dilated.

A single teardrop fell against the woman's cheek as the Hyuga heiress lifted her wrist and placed it in her own lap, ignoring the blood that stained her pants as she desperately searched for any sign of life in the still body. More tears cascaded down in a steady stream; there was no pulse. She was dead.

Whipping the liquid from her eyes, she pulled out her phone and speedily dialed for help. Rushing over to check on the boy afterwards, she discovered he was breathing but unconscious and seemed to have suffered some bad scrapes on his arms and legs, along with what looked like a concussion, judging by the pool of blood near his head.

Then, checking the forgotten stroller, she found a small baby sleeping peacefully, miraculously having slept through everything.

A few seconds later the paramedics had arrived, and Hinata quickly began explaining the situation in detail as they loaded the woman's body onto a stretcher and covered it with a sheet, after solemnly confirming the Hyuga's first conclusion and closing her eyes for the final time. The Hyuga bowed deeply in respect as they rolled it by, saying a silent prayer that her spirit would rest peacefully, after sacrificing her life to save her son's.

The boy was then loaded onto another stretcher where an oxygen mask was placed over his face and a portable blood pump was connected to his arm to help him breathe easier. The baby was also wrapped in several blankets and taken into the ambulance.

Hinata, being the caring soul she was, asked to come along to make sure they'd be okay, and was allowed to come to the hospital. But when she got there, the only thing she could do was sit in the waiting room helplessly awaiting whatever news the nurses would bring.

Time seemed to freeze in that one moment, and the only thing she could register was the intense guilt that weighed down on her chest like a pound of cement.

What would happen when the boy woke up and found out about his mother? What about the baby (a little girl, she'd found out), who was too young to understand what was going on, how would she deal with growing up without a mother? Where would they go? Who would raise them? What about their father?

Fresh tears dripped down her already flushed cheeks as she thought of the woman's body lying in the street lifelessly.

A man with glasses and gray-hair tied in a ponytail wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard walked into the room. Hinata guessed he was the doctor in charge of this hospital wing. He studied the faces in the room as if looking for someone, then looked back down at his clipboard. "Ms. Hyuga...?" he asked finally.

Hinata sniffled and dabbed at her swollen eyes with her sleeve once more before standing and making her way over to the man. She ignored the shocked gasps and surprised whispers of the people in the room at the mention of her family's name.

The doctor led her through the heavy doors he'd come through, and into a long bland white hallway. She followed silently, her hands held together at her waist as she studied the polished linoleum floors. They stopped at the entrance to the hall.

"Hello, Ms. Hyuga. My name is Dr. Kabuto Yakushi," his voice drew her attention back up to his face and she nodded politely as he held out a hand for her to shake. She did, returning the greeting, and he cleared his throat.

"Now, I understand you witnessed the accident?" he questioned.

"H-Hai..." she whispered quietly.

"And you came to the hospital out of concern for the two children that were brought in?" he continued.

Again she agreed with his statement by nodding.

"That was very thoughtful of you," he gave a small smile. "Would you like to see them?"

Instantly, she lifted her head to stare at him in surprise. "Y-Yes, please!"

He chuckled lightly, "Very well, come with me please." he told her, motioning for her to follow him.

He led her further down the hall and to the last door on the right, labeled room 173. Opening the door, he gestured for her to enter and she stepped in as softly as possible.

The room was as bland as the hall, white walls, sheets, and floor. She noticed a figure lying on a bed, the only one in the room. She studied the face of the unconscious boy. He was shockingly pale and fragile looking, his head wrapped heavily with bandaging. He was hooked to several different machines, including a heart monitor, blood pump, and IV.

Staring back at the doctor, who was standing by the door behind her, she silently asked if she could step closer. He nodded, and she walked to the boy's bedside, sitting in the only chair in the room. Gently, she stroked his bangs out of eyes, surprised at how soft his hair was.

"We found out that their mother's name was Akane Uzuhara, and she worked at a business office downtown. It seems she was their only parent, since there's no record of her being married, but we're still searching."

The Hyuga swallowed a hard lump in her throat, nodding numbly. "W-What are their names?" she asked.

"The boy's name is Kotachi, and he's about eight years old. The baby's name is Mizuru, and we think she's around six months or so."

"Kotachi-kun..." she mumbled sadly. "Wh-what's wrong with him?" she asked, looking back at the doctor with helpless lavender eyes.

"Well, aside from being pretty badly scraped up from the fall, he has a concussion, but we won't be able to tell how severe the damage is until he wakes up. The little girl appears to be stable and healthy since she wasn't involved in the accident though, so she's resting now in the infant infirmary next door."

The Hyuga sighed in relief, then took a deep breath, preparing to ask the question she feared the most. "W-what'll happen to them?"

The doctor looked away from the woman's pale orbs, a small frown marring his face. Hinata took this as a bad sign and held her breath as she waited for the man to answer. He placed one hand behind his back and stroked his chin with the other, obviously deep in thought.

"Well…they'll stay here while they're recovering and we try to find out if there's anyone else to claim them. Otherwise, they'll have to go to an orphanage." he sighed.

"Orphanage?" the Hyuga squeaked in distress. She could only imagining what it would be like to lose your only family and then be sent away to live with strangers and dozens of other children.

The doctor nodded solemnly. "If we can't find any other relatives then it's our only option. But don't worry Ms. Hyuga, we'll do our best to make sure they're well taken care of." he said kindly, trying to lift her spirits.

Hinata nodded in understanding. Dr. Kabuto glanced down at his clipboard before quietly clearing his throat. "Excuse me...but I have to finish some other errands. Will you be ok here by yourself?"

The heiress nodded quietly and the doctor gave her a small smile. "I'll be back to check up on things in a little while; feel free to call a nurse if you need anything."

"T-Thank-you," she smiled politely.

The doctor exited the room and she turned her attention back to the young boy. His hand was still held in hers and she could have sworn for a minute that she felt a light squeeze. A low groan escaped his barely parted lips and the Hyuga looked at him, startled.

Slowly, cool grey eyes cracked open, the hazy form of a person taking shape. Bright lights swirled around the edges of his vision, and when it cleared, he thought he must've been dreaming. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen was staring down at him. Coughing roughly, he tried to form working words.

When he felt he had found his tongue he opened his mouth to speak, and the next words that came out of his mouth made Hinata blanch in horror,"M-Mom...?"

* * *

**Du-du-daaah! Bet you didn't see that coming, eh? I really hope you guys liked it; I've been working on and off on this chapter for MONTHS...! Please remember to review!**


	8. Baby Mama Drama?

**Hello everyone, I'm sorry I've been away so long and I hope you're excited about this chapter. I know I am! I've been wanting to do it since...heck, almost since I started writing this. So...since I can't think of anything else to say for the moment, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Eight:

_Baby Mama Drama?_

* * *

Hinata felt as if her soul had just left her body as she heard the little boy's croaky whisper. He blinked slowly as if trying to adjust his vision, his tired, blurry eyes finally landing on her startled face. "K-Kaasan...what... happened?"

The Hyuga now found herself trembling slightly as she stared down into the confused face of the exhausted child. Obviously, he was still in shock and his brain hadn't had time to fully register what'd happened.

The hand that had been holding his moments ago now rested in her lap as she continued to stare down at the child, at a loss for words. What could she say to a child who had just lost his only known family and was possibly now all alone in the world? What could she do to explain the situation to him in a way that he wouldn't be further traumatized?

Maybe it was best if she allowed the doctors to take care of that as well, since they were in charge of his treatment. Still, those wide questioning eyes seemed to burn a hole right through her soul, and she knew if she didn't say something, she might collapse under all the stress of everything she'd been through today.

"I...I'll be right back. I'm going to get a d-doctor." she managed a shaky smile as she slowly stood up, the boy blinking tiredly as his eyes drifted shut again.

-XOXOX-

Many hours and several test results later, the doctor's worst suspicions had been confirmed, as he studied the chart that showed the monitor's readings. "It seems he's not only suffering from swelling in the brain as a result of the concussion, but also amnesia." Dr. Kabuto adjusted his glasses, frowning.

The Hyuga's pale eyes stared at the bland tiled floors sadly, her heart aching painfully at the news. "H-He called me 'kaasan'..." she swallowed hard. "Do you...think he remembers the a-accident?" she whispered.

The doctor shook his head, sighing. "It's possible that during the time of the impact, he blacked out and his short-term memory was damaged. We did brain-scans and they only show slight irregularities in the brainwave patterns, but it's possible there could be some undetected injuries."

"S-So then does that mean i-it'll wear off eventually?" she asked hopefully.

"Right now there's no way to tell. He could regain his memory in a matter of days...or it could take months. Sometimes, parts of the memory are permanently lost and others are substituted. Right now, he might have mistaken you for his mother because he made some kind of mental connection between you and her. In order not to rattle his head anymore than it already is, it's probably best to play along for now. He'll stay here for another week or two while we monitor him, and if we haven't found any relatives by then, we'll have to send them to an orphanage."

"W-Wait!" the heiress gasped, "what about Mizuru-chan? May I please see her?"

He nodded solemnly, "Of course. Please follow me." He said, motioning for her to exit the room first. She gave Kotachi, who now seemed to be sleeping peacefully a final glance before leaving, the doctor leading her down the hall.

* * *

"Damn it, why the fuck isn't she answering her fucking phone?" the Jashinist snarled angrily, "Are you even sure this is the right number, blondie?"

"Of course I am, un!" the artist answered indignantly. "She has my number and I have hers. We traded a few days ago so we could keep in touch easier in case I need her to model for me, yeah."

Hidan merely snorted, rolling his violet eyes. "Well some good that fucking did. She's not here and we can't get in touch with her."

"Hinata's gone?" a new voice suddenly sounded. Both Akatsuki members turned to see the younger Uchiha standing there, his expression as blank as usual, only an eyebrow raised to indicate his curiosity.

He had been heading to his room when he'd heard all the noise coming from down the next hall and decided to see what was going on, only to find the foul-mouthed model and the eccentric artist arguing in front of Hinata's room.

"Yeah, un. This note was on her door, but the time on it says she was supposed to be back hours ago!" Deidara exclaimed, holding up the note for Sasuke to see. He took it carefully, examining the neatly scrawled message.

"_Ano, I'm going for a walk in the park. I should be back by about noon. Please don't worry, I'll be fine alone." _

– _Hinata_

His eyebrows furrowed as he read the short message. Back by noon? It was almost 5 o' clock p.m. now... He thought of all the things that could have happened to someone as naive and trusting as Hinata wandering around alone on the streets.

The park wasn't that far away, maybe ten minutes by car and twenty minutes on foot, which was why it was even stranger she wasn't back yet. Obviously, there was something that didn't add up. Sasuke handed the note back over to the artist, his dark eyes narrowing deep in thought.

Over the past few days, he had been thinking a lot about the awkward, shy Hyuga heiress that'd suddenly appeared seemingly out of the blue. At first, he was sure he knew what he thought of her, and how he felt. Hinata was a _very_ attractive girl, whether she was aware of it or not, and the fact that she was naturally so oblivious made her all the more interesting.

It was definitely a change from what he was used to, cheap, greedy women who tried to impress him or woo him for their own benefits, or women who idolized him and thought of him as nothing more than a trophy to compete over.

He had seen her as a new challenge, and lusted after her strongly. He enjoyed making her flustered or seeing just how easy it was to make her blush. But then something strange had started to happen, and the more he was around her the more he began to view her as something more than just a play toy to amuse himself with.

Her compassionate spirit, wide-eyed innocence, and the ability to slip through the barriers he'd set up between himself and everyone else without even trying both fascinated and frustrated him. She was so open where he was so aloof, so pure where he was tainted, and always willing to see the best in people.

It confused him, not knowing what motivated her to be so kind towards someone who had been nothing but cruel towards her. Somehow, he had come to be intrigued by the shy beauty known as Hinata, and a sort of respect for her peaceful spirit had grown.

"I'm going to look for her." Sasuke declared, pulling his car keys from his pockets. "It's already late and it's not safe out there after dark." He began walking down the hall and towards the elevator without glancing back at the two older men.

"Wait a minute, un." Deidara called out after him, causing him to pause momentarily. "I'm going to look for Hinata-chan, too. It'll be easier with more people looking anyway, yeah."

Sasuke closed his eyes, shrugging nonchalantly. In truth he hadn't planned on having either of them tagging along. He figured he would go out, find Hinata, and drag her back home before anyone else noticed her gone while those two idiots stalled for time or whatever the hell it was they were good for.

But, if he protested and insisted he go himself, it might look strange. Almost like he had some kind of personal interest in her welfare, like he was actually _worried_ about her. And that just wasn't the case, _right_?

"Fine, but you're taking your own car."

"Yeah, yeah," Deidara waved a hand exasperatedly. "I already planned to, un."

* * *

Hinata smiled as she lifted the giggling infant up. The little girl was playfully waving her arms and legs without a care in the world. The doctor had reasoned that she was perhaps too young to understand what had occurred and therefore had no feelings of lingering sadness or grief.

Still, the Hyuga heiress was compassionate and maternal by nature. An infant as young as little Mizuru needed someone to look after her, a parent figure. She was concerned.

If they _were_ sent to an orphanage, would there be someone there who would be able to provide all the attention she needed, especially with so many other children to attend to?

It was sad, and the Hyuga desperately wished there was some way she could help, but how? She was the heiress to a wealthy business known world-wide. The press would have a field day knowing she'd taken on responsibility for two young orphaned children.

And what would her father think? She shuddered just imagining how absolutely furious he would be. One of his daughters, and the heiress no less, raising children that weren't rightful heirs of the Hyuga, and out of wedlock? It was absolutely unthinkable!

Plus, since she was currently living with her cousin's friends, she couldn't possibly impose on them any further by asking them to allow her and two young children who'd need constant care and attention to stay. Even if the penthouse was more than adequate in space.

A sad frown crossed her face as she stared into the baby's bright, clear cerulean blue eyes. Mizuru tilted her head as she stared back curiously at the person holding her.

She didn't know why but the lady that'd been smiling so kindly at her suddenly looked sad. Seeing the frown made her sad too, somehow. Even if she was too young to verbally express herself, Mizuru felt she could do _something_ to cheer the young woman up.

Tentatively reaching out a small hand, the little girl placed it on the Hyuga's soft cheek, staring innocently as if to say 'please don't be sad'. Hinata felt a tug at her heart, unconsciously holding the tiny infant closer.

How could she abandon a helpless little child who was obviously in such desperate need?

* * *

"What the hell's going on? It looks like a fucking wreck or something." Hidan commented agitatedly as he surveyed the scene. The three men had finally arrived at the park, only to see a large section of the street cornered off with policemen busily patrolling the area.

"Hey there," Sasuke walked up to a passing officer. "What happened here?"

The policeman sighed, taking off his cap to fan himself and wiping sweat from his brow. "Well, not sure yet exactly but it looks like several civilians were a victim of a hit and run here not too long ago. One of 'em didn't make it. The survivors are down at the hospital right now." He explained solemnly.

For some odd reason Sasuke felt his blood run cold. He rushed back to the two older Akatsuki members without another word to the police officer. Quickly explaining the situation they all agreed that going to the hospital would be there best bet.

Hopefully, Hinata would be there, safe and sound. Perhaps she'd just been taken there with minor injuries. Whatever the case was, they were determined to bring the Hyuga heiress home before anyone noticed her missing.

* * *

Sasori sighed as he flipped through a fashion magazine that showcased some of his newest upcoming models wearing Deidara's finest clothes. Truly, they worked well together, not that he'd ever tell the blond that to his face.

But right now Deidara really wasn't his main concern. "Hidan's been gone a while now." He sighed. "I told him to go check on her, not have a sleepover. I hope he didn't try to pull anything, otherwise it'll be his head."

"Hn. You should've known how unreliable and thick-headed a jackass like Hidan is. _I_ could've told you that." A masked man grunted from the other end of the couch as he carefully balanced a checkbook. His name was Kakuzu, the Akatsuki Group's top accountant and financial manager.

As much of a penny-pinching tightwad as he was, it was due to his careful money management that allowed them to have enough to put into their important projects without ever going bankrupt or overbalancing an account.

"Hmm...so, the rumors about the girl are true then, eh?" a slightly blue shark-like man grinned as he leaned back in the easy recliner, remote in one hand and sake bottle in the other. "She's the heiress of the Hyuga clan right? _And_, I hear she's not too bad on the eyes either, you're a pretty lucky bastard, you know that, Itachi?" he leaned over to elbow the stoic, raven-haired man in the ribs.

The two other members of Akatsuki had come to discuss an upcoming project the company would be hosting, but now, Hidan and Deidara were both missing in action. Not that he minded the reprieve. Top fashion company or not, things tended to get more than just a little rowdy when the entire Akatsuki got together.

Including the hardly seen members who worked at the top of the company planning events from the shadows. Not many knew that under the guise of a top modeling and fashion agency, the Akatsuki was also a feared and notorious street gang similar to the yakuza. That information was only entrusted to a select few, Itachi included.

The Uchiha merely looked at him impassively, not willing to divulge the earlier encounter he'd had with the Hyuga. Not many would ever guess, but Uchiha Itachi actually had quite a mischievous sense of humor, wherein he sometimes teased people impassively in his own Uchiha way. Namely Sasuke, but as of late, his newest target had been the shy little Hyuga that'd come to reside with them.

She was so naive and unassuming; for someone who came from a background such as hers, it was almost considered unheard of. Her soft-spoken and kind nature was something her could appreciate. One might even say that she intrigued him, not that he planned to make this known to anyone anytime soon.

Idly, he wondered where she was, not having seen her since much earlier. He had noted that Hidan, Deidara, and now his brother were also gone. Itachi decided that strange though it may be, he would simply usher the idea of it being more than a coincidence aside for the moment.

* * *

"You really think she'd be here, yeah?" Deidara asked, glancing around as the three men walking through the hospital's lobby. He was worried, to say the least. After the Uchiha had relayed the information they'd all rushed down to the medical institution as fast as possible.

"Well we've looked everywhere fucking else. This is our best bet isn't it?" Hidan scoffed.

Hidan looked mostly annoyed to be there, and Sasuke appeared indifferent, though inside his blood was boiling with anxiety and frustration. Deidara's worry had temporarily transformed him from the mischievous, care-free person that he normally was to the serious, very tense individual that he currently was.

All three ignored the stares of awe and excitement as they walked through the doors, many patients recognizing their faces immediately, and others just staring with unabated lust simply because they were there to be stared at.

A nurse walked up to them, hearts practically appearing in her eyes as she looked them over slowly, as if mentally undressing them. "Can I help you gentlemen?" she flashed them a sweet smile and Sasuke resisted the urge to gag.

If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was someone who tried to use their non-existent charm to seduce or attract people's attention. If it wasn't there from the start, you weren't going to magically become appealing, so why bother?

"Yeah, do you know about someone involved in a hit and run being brought in not long ago?" Sasuke asked curtly.

The nurse seemed to stare at him in a daze, the Uchiha sending an impatient glare her way before she finally got the message and retrieved her clipboard to look at the names on it. Mm-hm... two minors, one with severe injuries and one young woman who witnessed it." She read the reports aloud.

"That's Hinata-chan!" Deidara piped up. He was relieved that Hinata was, in fact unharmed. Or so he assumed.

"So the bitch _is_ here..." Hidan drawled lazily, glancing around at the sterile white environment. Sasuke sent a bone-chilling glare towards Hidan.

He knew how the silver-haired prick usually addressed women, and what he did didn't really bother Sasuke much since he wasn't really any better, but somehow, when he used such a degrading term to refer to Hinata, it became almost...taboo.

"We need to see the woman, now." Sasuke demanded, leaving no room for debate. Stammering, the nurse made a sweeping gesture toward the heavy double doors, her shoes tapping down the hall as fast as she could go and the three men following.

When they reached the outer door, the nurse explained that they could go in but to please keep noise to a minimum before high-tailing it as fast as she could. Sasuke's glare was enough to shoot fire through her veins, no matter how good-looking the three were.

Hidan pushed the door open and they walked in, not at all expecting to the sight before them. They stood, frozen in shock as they watched the Hyuga they'd been searching for gently rocking a small child back and forth while whispering a soft, soothing lullaby. Her gentle voice seemed to wrap around them as if lulling them into surrender as well.

As if in a daze, they stood and listened. Deidara thought she had the voice of an angel, Hidan thought it was probably sweet enough to make Jashin-sama want to puke, but he strangely didn't mind listening to, and Sasuke was reminded immensely of his mother, and how she had lulled him to sleep as a child.

Deidara managed to snap out of his stupor and call out to her, "Hinata-chan, yeah?" she turned around, shocked to see the three men standing there.

A deep, scarlet blush immediately overtook her entire face.

"S-Sasuke-san, Hidan-san, Deidara-kun?" she mumbled questioningly. To say she was surprised to see them was an understatement. She'd be even more embarrassed if she realized they'd heard her singing.

"Hey, what the hell's wrong with you? Don't you know how to fucking tell time?" Hidan immediately spoke, caring nothing for preserving the calm atmosphere.

"Um, I..."

"Hinata, we've been searching for you for hours. Your note said you would be back by noon. It's almost 7:38 now." Sasuke stated, motioning towards the wall clock.

Hinata's wide eyes turned to see the clock hanging on the wall and she gasped, her face draining of color. She had completely forgotten! Oh, they must have spent so long wondering where she was... She couldn't believe how rude she'd been, making them search, inconveniencing them. She felt sick to her stomach.

"G-gomen! I...I'm so sorry!" she replied, bowing as best she could with the infant in her arms.

Deidara walked over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. But next time call us, yeah. We heard about the accident near the park. When we couldn't reach you we got worried, un." He explained, shaking his head slightly.

"I sure as hell wasn't." Hidan grumbled stiffly, arms crossed. Deidara shot the silver-haired Jashinist a look from the corner of his eyes.

"Hidan doesn't count, un. He's a prick, yeah." Deidara added.

"What'd you fucking say you little pansy?" Hidan bellowed ready to pounce on the charismatic artist. The child Hinata was holding stirred, whining in her sleep. Sasuke saw this, along with the Hyuga's distressed state, grunting to himself.

"Hey, can't you morons see she's here and ok? Cut it out already—you'll wake the baby up." he said. All the while he was eying the infant curiously. Whose baby _was_ that anyway? It obviously wasn't Hinata's, so... He suddenly remembered what the nurse had said. Was this one of the survivors from the accident?

Hinata flushed dark red, seeing three pairs of eyes were suddenly glued to her, or more specifically the tiny bundle in her arms. "Ah! W-well you see...I... I was a-at the park when the a-accident happened a-and...t-their mother was...so I...I decided to come and s-see if they were alright," she swallowed a huge lump in her throat.

Deidara cocked his head to the side curiously. Only just getting the gist of what she was saying. He knew Hinata was the caring type to want to comfort people whenever they went through something bad.

In the months since he'd gotten to know her, he realized that her spirit was a genuinely pure one, and she was truly a beautiful person from within and without.

He was fascinated by her kind spirit and found himself wandering how such an obviously eternal light that conflicted so strongly with his philosophy of true beauty being fleeting, could have captured his attention so profoundly.

Yes, he knew he was attracted to her, and from what he could tell he wasn't the only one. But he'd be the one to have her in the end. He would be sure of it.

"So then, she has no one now?" Sasuke asked, though it was more of a statement. He studied the child in the Hyuga's arms, his eyes lingering on the blotches of pink on its innocent, sleeping little face, and the soft curls of hair begining to sprout on its little head.

Something so sweet and universally pure really shouldn't be so near someone as bitter and tainted as him, he knew. Hinata on the other hand, already the epitome of purity, seemed to sparkle ethereally when she was holding the child. He wondered if she knew just how natural she looked, holding a baby close to her bosom and singing soft lullabies.

Hinata nodded sadly in affirmation. "Y-yes...Mizuru-chan and Kotachi-kun l-lost their mother and...if no one is found to t-take them, they'll go to the orphanage." she explained, obviously devastated by the news.

"'Kotachi-kun'?" Deidara repeated in slight confusion.

"H-he's in the intensive care unit down the hall with a concussion." she explained, her eyes glistening sadly. "He was going to get hit, b-but their mother pushed him out of the way and she...she..." Hinata shook her head, as if trying to erase the memory from her mind. "The doctors don't know how badly his memory's been damaged...a-and he doesn't r-realize what's happened yet, I'm sure when he finds out, he'll be d-devastated."

Sasuke could only imagine how traumatic an experience witnessing such a brutal accident must be for someone as gentle-hearted as the Hyuga heiress. She looked so crestfallen and unlike the Hinata he'd come to know.

He couldn't explain why this bothered him, but it did. He wanted to make her smile the way she always did again, with the same gentle, cheerful look, the same sparkling innocence.

But he didn't know the first thing about comforting someone. His mother and the dobe made it seem so easy, but...the last time he had tried to apologize (the _first_ time he had ever tried apologizing to anyone), he had nearly scared her more than she'd been initially.

He hesitated, inwardly debating between trying to console her and remaining impassive. What were the risks and benefits? Did it even matter? No, he decided, no it didn't. Just as he had opened his mouth to say something, that...that blonde-headed _moron_ beat him to it.

"It's alright, Hinata-chan. If you need a shoulder to lean on, I'm here, un." Deidara placed a hand atop her fragile shoulder and she smiled up at him graciously through her long eyelashes. Sasuke's blood boiled as he watched her lips curl into a grateful smole as she staired at that...that conniving jackass.

Couldn't she see he was only trying to score some bonus points with her now that she was in a vulnerable state? Although, could he honestly say he wouldn't do the same if given a chance?

He gritted his teeth at the touching scene, Hyuga cradling child in arms, Deidara standing way too close for his liking, and Hidan watching boredly from the background. It was almost like the perfect portrait of some big, dysfunctional family.

"So..." Hidan broke the semi-awkward moment with a bored tone, "What're you gonna do with the fucking little brat anyway?" he glanced at the baby, who twitched slightly in her sleep as if sensing she was being spoken of.

The Hyuga blushed shyly, she had made her decision, but would they accept it? She knew she had only met these children today, but she couldn't abandon them after what she'd witnessed; she was involved with them now, and there was no changing it.

"Um...I, I was w-wondering if maybe..." she swallowed. "we could...a-adopt...them?"

The three men stared at her as if she had just transformed into some strange, alien from another planet.

* * *

"Fuck no!"

"Hidan, if you don't have anything else to contribute, then I suggest you keep quiet. You sound like an idiot repeating the same thing and it's giving me a headache," Sasori sighed, rubbing his temples as he sat back on the twin loveseat.

The four of them had finally returned many hours later, and after explaining what'd occured to the others, everyone was now gathered together in the living room to discuss Hinata's proposal of adoption.

"I think having kids around might be fun!" Naruto piped up, grinning widely. "I mean the more the merrier, right?" he beamed at Hinata and she blushed furiously, sending him a nervous grin before turning away in embarrassment. Sasuke, who was sitting beside her on the couch, rolled his eyes at the exchange.

"Not that we don't already have enough kids running around, what with the dobe," he motioned towards Naruto with a nod of his head, "but given the circumstances, I guess we might be able to make it work." the younger Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

"What the fuck is wrong with you mother fuckers, seriously!" Hidan stood up from his spot on the comfortable black leather lounge chair to yell at the group gathered in the room. "Am I the only one in this shit-hole that hasn't gone completely fucking insane? Fucking kids are way too damn annoying, and they get into shit too much."

"You mean like you, un?" Deidara voiced lazily, shifting some clay in his palms from beside his partner and mentor.

"Watch it pansy, or I'll shove my fist so far down your throat, you won't have any room to talk shit." Hidan threatened with a growl.

"Man, do you two ever give it a rest?" Kiba cut in before another arguement could ensue.

"Shut up dog-breath!" they both yelled in unison.

Gaara stared up at the ceiling and wondered _why_ he lived with so many morons...

Naruto scratched his head as he stared back and forth between the two Akatsuki.

Sasori pinched the bridge of his nose.

Itachi was busy tuning them all out.

Sasuke was glaring at Itachi for no reason in particuliar.

Deidara and Hidan were in a glaring contest.

Hinata was glancing around the room nervously, feeling as though she had caused the whole mess. She decided she had to do something to fix it. "A-Ano..." she stood up, somehow managing to draw everyone's attention, "I'm sorry...I p-pushed everyone into this. I-it was very rude and selfish of me, gomenasai!" she bowed, scuttling from the room.

All the males glanced around the room, exchanging looks with each other. None of them, not even the normally dense Naruto, had missed the flash of sadness in her pale eyes as she left, try as she might to conceal it.

Itachi nodded as if concluded everyone's thoughts, and Hidan's eyes widened disbelievingly. "Aw fuck no! No, no, no, no, and fucking no! I can't believe you mother fuckers, seriously!"

* * *

It had been nearly a month and Kotachi still showed no signs of regaining his memory. Hinata continued to visit them at the hospital daily, searching for a job in the meantime. She smiled and talked to the boy, growing increasingly closer to both children. But now, the doctor had said he was stable enough to be released...except the most obvious problem.

They had indeed been unable to locate any close family to take the children, and Hinata knew the orphanage loomed ever ominous. She sighed to herself, wondering what to do as she sat watching the boy grimacing in distaste at the tray of lumpy hospital food. Mizuru was in her arms, giggling quietly as she played with Hinata's silky hair.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a plaintive whine, "Kaa-san...do I have to eat this stuff? It all looks like mush and I think it growled at me." the boy told her seriously as he prodded at something that looked like a slimy mix between vegetables and meat surprise with his fork.

Hinata smiled gently, having gotten used to being called 'mother' and even finding that somewhere inside, she didn't really mind. It felt...right, somehow. She carefully reached down into a bag she had brought along to pull out a retangular box neatly wrapped with a blue ribbon.

"I thought you might want something else, so...I made this." she explained, handing it to him. He took it curiously, carefully unwrapping the ribbon before opening up the box to peek inside.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, eyes widening in shocked glee, "This is like...all my most favorite foods rolled into one bento! Thanks kaa-chan, you're totally the best!" Kotachi broke his chopsticks, mouth watering. In the blink of an eye he was devouring the food, small pieces of rice and bread crumbs sticking to his mouth.

Hinata simply pulled out a napkin and began cleaning it when he looked up to her, grinning widely. She smiled and Mizuru bubbled with laughter. The three really did look like a happy family, except there was one thing missing... A knock on the door found them turning their attention to the doorway as Dr. Kabuto entered the room.

"Hyuga-san, may I speak with you for a minute?" he asked politely. She nodded, standing up with Mizuru still in arms.

"I'll be back soon." she told Kotachi softly. He frowned but nodded anyway. He flopped back on the bed with his arms folded behind his head. "Man...I wonder when I'll get outta this joint." he grumbled.

Hinata gasped in surprise as she stepped outside, seeing a group of men in the hallway, seemingly waiting for her. She recognized several immediately. "S-Sasori-san, Deidara-kun, I-Itachi-san, H-Hidan-san!"

She acknowledged each one of the men before her who she recognized, though there were several more in the background she did not know. A man with skin so pale it looked blue in the hospital's light and short, spiky blue hair, gill-like markings on each cheek, and a wide sharkish grin.

Another man with a mask covering the majority of his face, dark hair and eerie green eyes. One man even seemed to have two different skin tones, though she tried not to stare for fear of being rude, and from what she could tell, golden eyes. And the last, had spiky hair and was wearing a swirly orange mask.

It was an odd group to be certain, and some of them were rather intimidating...Namely those she didn't know very well.

"Well," the shark man grinned as he eyed her carefully. "So this is the heiress I've been hearing so much about recently? Huh, you're quite a gem."

Hinata blushed at the comment.

"She'd fetch us a pretty penny if she modeled for Akatsuki." the masked man with the strange eyes agreed.

"Yes, she is quite cute **and so delectable.**" the two toned man spoke, causing Hinata to cringe slightly. _Had he just spoken with two different voices?_

She was snapped out of her thoughts however, by an exuberant, childish voice "Hi, hi pretty lady! Tobi thinks you'd be good at modeling. Tobi is a good boy! Tobi thinks the pretty lady should be in Akatsuki and model for Tobi's sempai's." the energetic boy chimed.

Hinata tilted her head and smiled at the masked raven-haired boy. At least she thought he was. He certainly sounded and acted like a sugar-high ten-year old.

Speaking of children...

"Um...w-what brings y-you all here, Sasori-san?" she asked politely, trying not to fidget. Mizuru stared at the odd group of men, seeming quite fixed on Hidan for some reason as she stared at his deep violet eyes. The man, noticing the infant staring quickly growled in disdain at the child.

"Hinata-san, I'd like to introduce you to the rest of the Akatsuki. As you already know, Deidara, Hidan, Itachi, along with myself all belong to the same group known as the Akatsuki, one of the biggest names in the world. These are our other associates, Kakuzu, Kisame, Zetsu, and Tobi." he motioned to each of them.

Hinata nodded and bowed respectfully. "I-it's very nice to meet all of y-you." she blushed, hoping her stuttering wasn't too evident.

"Same here princess." Kisame grinned, which only caused Hinata to go into another terrible blushing fit.

"They came because they wanted to meet you, but we also have some other important news to share." Here, the faint traces of a lazy smirk fell upon Sasori's face. He held up a paper and she accepted it gingerly. Her eyes widened as they scanned the neatly typed form.

"T-this is..." she began, unable to continue.

"Yeah, we decided to adopt them, un! Since it obviously means so much to you," Deidara finished, grinning.

The look on Hinata's face was one of pure astonishment and joy. This meant... "All you have to do is sign on the line." Itachi's deep voice broke through her thoughts. Swallowing, Hinata nodded determinedly, and Sasori magically produced a pen.

She quickly and neatly jotted down her name and ink, and Kabuto took it from her with a smile. "Congratulations, Ms. Hyuga-san. You're now the mother of two."

"Ah, fuck..." Hidan groaned from the background. "This is some fucked up bullshit, seriously..."

* * *

**Phew! Can't believe that chapter took so long and I finally got it out. I'd been waiting soooo long. I hope you all enjoyed it. May not have turned out like I wanted originally, but well, such is life~ I'll be happy as long as you all continue to show your support with plenty of awesome reviews. Long ones, brief ones, whatever. Just let me know how you liked it, ok?**

**Oh, and the next chapter deals with more mishaps as Hinata and the guys try raising two rambunctious kids and dealing with conflicting feelings. Sounds like some good drama huh? But, as you know, our heroine, cool as she is, can't do it alone...so i will be opening up a poll where you can decide who the 'daddy' should be. Bet you're all looking forward to that, huh? ;)**


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